A Menswear Moment at Lichting in Amsterdam
by Philippe Pourhashemi
If Dutch designers are often low profile, they are nevertheless hard workers who stick to their guns, the best example being Lucas Ossendrijver, who has been creating stunning collections at Lanvin for more than a decade. Dutch fashion schools are vibrant, exciting and often full of ideas, blending the raw with the conceptual, historicism with global concerns. This was my first time being part of the jury at Lichting 2017, a great initiative launched in 2007 by HTNK and FashionWeek Netherlands. The purpose of Lichting is to promote the best graduates from the country and award them with 2 prizes: the international jury awards the winner of the competition with 10.000€ while the audience prize, worth 3000€, goes to another graduate. This year, 3 menswear collections clearly stood out.
Lizzy Stuyfzand -who graduated with a BA in Fashion design from ArtEZ in Arnhem- delivered an energetic collection inspired by London club kids and Austrian craftsmen. She walked away with the 10.000€ jury award, which she will use to pursue her textile research. Bold, confident and playful, her clothes were a convincing mix of contemporary tailoring, fancy accessories and contrasting textures, associating sheer fabrics with embroidery techniques, man-made materials with high-quality yarns. Her collection also played with the current gender divide while keeping a strong masculine vibe, even when she sent out a transparent green skirt on the runway, worn with a lurex trimmed shirt. Teun Seuren, who graduated from HKU in Utrecht, was inspired by hooligans and gay power, printing swear words and homophobic slurs on his delicate mesh t-shirts, which subverted the classic language of sportswear. His message was powerful, yet subtle, focusing on wide-legs pants and a softer silhouette, as well as a restrained color palette of red and white. Sophie Roumans, who graduated from Utrecht’s School of the Arts, also had politics in mind with a collection that focused on global warming. Entitled “The Promise”, her clothes hinted at the ambiguity of human behavior towards the planet, creating and destroying it at the same time. Her draping was beautiful, as well as her loose tailored pieces and use of knitwear. Placing drawstrings on several pieces, she managed to play with hems and proportions, offering garments that were intelligent and seductive at once.
If those 3 graduates play their cards well, you’ll probably hear from them in the near future.



















Photos by Team Peter Stigter
www.lichting.nl
Das Leben am Haverkamp Cruise 2018 Lookbook
1997 throwback – A conversation with Ton Heukels
CamperLab arrived at Paris Men’s Fashion Week with the growl of an engine in a concrete garage.
When the world grows dark, Walter Van Beirendonck responds with glittering defiance.
For BLUEMARBLE’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, creative director Anthony Alvarez Graff found inspiration in the Mont Faron téléphérique of Toulon, a cable car bridging mountain and city.
For Spring/Summer 2026, Feng Chen Wang returns to her roots while pushing forward, a collection that feels like a conversation between memory and the present.
On a drowsy summer afternoon, between the pages of untouched books and the hum of cicadas, Sean Suen found inspiration for his Spring/Summer 2026 collection.
Take a look at EGONLAB’s Spring/Summer 2026 backstage, captured by the lens of Tiago Pestana during Paris Fashion Week, in exclusive for Fucking Young!
This exhibition marks the conclusion of Demna’s ready-to-wear work for Balenciaga, anchored by the Exactitudes collection.
During Paris Men’s Fashion Week, Christian Louboutin transformed the grand halls of the Hôtel de Crillon into a living showcase for its Sartorial line.
For Spring/Summer 2026, EGONLAB presents In Memoriam, a collection that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant.
For Spring/Summer 2026, Wales Bonner marks ten years with Jewel, a collection that feels like flipping through a well-loved wardrobe, one where every piece has a story.
Alexandre Mattiussi, Founder and Creative Director of AMI, unveiled his Spring/Summer 2026 collection during Paris Fashion Week.
The collection is a rebellion against static culture, where nothing is fixed, only constantly evolving.
With 5th Quarter, Denim Tears turns its lens to basketball’s deeper meaning in Black America, not just as a sport, but as a cultural force, a dream, and sometimes, an unspoken expectation.
This season, 3.PARADIS walks us into the desert, not just as a place, but as a state of mind.
This season, J.L-A.L thinks in chairs. Not as objects to sit on, but as ideas, systems of support, containment, and quiet presence.
MODUS VIVENDI introduces a fresh take on its signature Illusion Line for SS25, adding a new green option to the collection.
KYLE’LYK unveiled its Spring/Summer 2026 collection with a lookbook photographed by Justin von Oldershausen.
Take a look at Études Studio’s Spring/Summer 2026 backstage, captured by the lens of Tiago Pestana during Paris Fashion Week, in exclusive for Fucking Young!
Guillermo Andrade turned Paris into his stage for 424’s Spring/Summer 2026 show.
Solid Homme’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection is about holding on, not to grand statements, but to the small things that add up to a life.
Pharrell Williams presented Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection during Paris Fashion Week.
PUMA and Salehe Bembury turned Paris into a laboratory of organic futurism this Paris Fashion Week.
HED MAYNER presented its Spring/Summer 2026 collection during Paris Fashion Week.
Titled “Nothing could have prepared us / Everything could have prepared us”, this retrospective exhibition explores over thirty-five years of artistic practice across various photographic genres.
KAWAkEY’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection tells a story about cages, freedom, and the quiet weight of time.
Hiroaki Sueyasu’s latest collection for KIDILL isn’t just about clothes but also about the people who once lived on the fringes, spinning their own worlds out of obsession and imagination.
MELLER teams up with Lazy Oaf for a limited-edition pair of sunnies designed for true dog lovers.
Montblanc and Wes Anderson return with “Let’s Write,” the second chapter of their collaboration, and an ode to writing, imagination, and the journeys words inspire.
For their SS26 collection, presented at Paris’ Palais de Tokyo, creative directors Aurélien Arbet and Jérémie Egry continue their quiet conversation between art and utility.
Set in the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, the collection exists in a moment between places, where escape and elegance meet.