Amsterdam label Aiche opens Fashion Week with couture

Amsterdam clothing label Aiche opens Amsterdam Fashion Week on Tuesday 1 September with its first couture collection. Childhood friends Milki Abadura and Tim Sluijzer, both 28, founded the brand around a kitchen table in 2019.

While often categorised as a streetwear label known for hoodies and sweaters, the founders want to show a wider creative range. The runway show features experimental pieces that are not designed for regular retail, including oversized dresses.

Physical stores and international plans

The brand operates strictly without an online shop. Retailers carrying the label, including de Bijenkorf, are contractually barred from selling items online, requiring customers to visit physical stores.

Aiche currently employs about eight people and runs a permanent shop in De Pijp. The company is developing stockists in France, Belgium, England, and Turkey, with longer-term ambitions to open standalone stores in Paris and Tokyo.

Opening show theme

The couture collection is titled Seeing Sounds and explores four characters connected through music. These include an office worker escaping routine through headphones and a fashion-industry traveler experiencing loneliness amid glamour.

Amsterdam Fashion Week runs from 1 September to 5 September. Alongside private shows, the schedule includes public events such as an exhibition marking 20 years of talent platform Lichting at De Hallen and an event hub at Keizersgracht 264.

Source: Het Parool