Move over Milan, Paris and London – Amsterdam is Europe’s new capital of cool fashion
Amsterdam’s flourishing food and fashion scenes have made the capital of the Netherlands a magnet for creative folk from both overseas and elsewhere in the country
“We didn’t have jobs, and we didn’t know anyone here. We just packed up our things and built our life here”, laughs Anselmo, who has her own fashion brand but is currently focusing on hosting feminist supper clubs under the moniker Feisty Feast and helping other fashion brands stage promotional dinner parties.
Seven years on, Anselmo’s choice has aged well.
“There’s been a big boom here”, says Anselmo, who attributes the shift to “the number of expats coming in and starting interesting businesses, but also the pandemic, because people realised how important food and coming together is.”
It’s not just foreigners who are gravitating towards Amsterdam, which had its former golden age as a global trading hub in the 16th and 17th centuries. According to Christian Heikoop, founder and creative director of accessories label Maeden, more and more Dutch entrepreneurs are anchoring themselves to the city and its gentle pace.