Dutch Golden Age masters

Dutch masters are at the centre of leading pictorial art from the Golden Age. Rembrandt is responsible for a staggering 40% of the tourist overflow in Amsterdam - coffee shops hold a firm yet questionable second place. Vermeer is a source for our love for milk and pearls (observant fans of PB photography: nope, no coincidence there). These Dutch masters celebrate Dutch beauty with grand, picturesque gestures. Vermeer’s sublime color sense, the rich colors and the attention for details found in the attires of portrayed muzes? They are recognizably featured in collections by Kyra & Ko, who have been sailing a unique course - with their colorful collections for women who appreciate an expressive style - since 2003.  

Dutch Style

De Stijl - also known as Neoplasticism - is an idealistic movement that arose around 1920 and lead art back to a clean style, with contrasting lines and squares. Honorary member Mondriaan created art that even your lego-loving toddler appreciates. And that design classic in primary colors that’s only inviting for your cat to sit on? Blame Rietveld - Dutch sobriety and clean esthetics at its best. studio .ruig has also turned the use of clean lines into a trademark. The designers fully embrace clean and renewed shapes and only modestly use color. Plein Publique likes to use timeless basic hues - and stripes: their authentic Breton stripe sweaters are legendary, as are their iconic button-down dresses and shirts with predominantly two-tone patterns - ingeniously simple!

Dutch Design

Dutch Design. The collective name for a movement of Dutch industrial designers that have left their mark internationally. It all started with Droog Design - marketed by yet another famous Dutchie, trend watcher Lidewij Edelkoort - and members Hella Jongerius (from the organically shaped Ikea vases) and Piet Hein Eek (talking about scrap wood without mentioning Piet is impossible) are household names. Sustainable re- and upcycling are Dutch discoveries (Dutch stinginess, right?) that are undeniably connected to today’s fashion. Take Josephine & Co, who use sustainably certified fabrics in their collections for selfconscious women. JapanTKY approaches sustainability from another perspective: they design collections consisting of season transcending items of such high quality, that they will last for years. After all, consuming less is an important form of sustainability.   

Dutch Blue

Delft Blue, the well-known blue and white pottery, ironically arose as a cheaper alternative to (there’s that stinginess again!) for Chinese porcelain and dates back to the 16th century. Traditional Delft blue is mainly popular among tourists nowadays, while the new generation of hyper modern design vases are showcased in the majority of hipster homes - either with or without tulips. Next to Delft blue, the Netherlands also leads the way in a different type of ‘code blue’: there’s no other place on the planet where the streets are dominated by so much blue. Surprise surprise: we are of course talking about denim. Amsterdam is considered the ‘denim capital’ of the world and The Netherlands is even home to a bonafide Denim Academy, where a new generation of designers are taught the tricks of the denim trade. Among the many cutting-edge Dutch denim brands, it’s Denham that attracts attention. The brand combines heritage denim traditions with modern fits, premium denim fabrics and specially developed washes.  

And…is your inner patriot triggered?

We couldn’t possibly discuss every beautiful brand: there are simply too many of them. And they all prove that small countries can achieve great things. Go on discovery and be sure to sift through our brand overview page, where we’ve given Dutch brands a prominent place. Pour some good old Dutch filter coffee in your gingham mug, grab some ‘stroopwafels’ and shop till you drop. Drop (dutch for liquorish), another Dutch specialty! But let’s leave that for another time… 

Love, Team PB