For us, Mattijs van Bergen is one of today’s most original and charming Dutch fashion designers. Influenced as much by the classic idea of tailoring as by contemporary promises of material science, he combines theatrical gowns with a new approach to the sweater as we know it. Famous for his curvaceous tailoring and sculptural pleating, he lets each garment lead its own life, allowing his clients live in his garments from sixteen – till the grave.

In the beautiful showroom of Vauxhall Fashion Scout in the Marais of Paris I met Holland’s pride. With a soft and almost shy voice we talked about his label MATTIJS and fashion nowadays, not afraid to be critical. 

Mattijs van Bergen –       I always begin with material and color and I wanted to mix the hard, manly materials with soft feminine ones for this season. (A/W 2013, red.)
Here I used wool, stiff leather and metallic next to chiffon, soft fabrics and embroideries of chunky gold ornaments. The golden plissé almost looks like it’s made of metal, even thought it’s just a lurex fabric. I wanted to have matte materials facing glossy objects, creating new combinations.

Lin. –       Your collection, Starburst, tells me something about the distinctiveness of the Netherlands compared with Paris. But your reputation is already so big in the Netherlands, how do you present yourself in Paris?
Mattijs van Bergen –       People know me in the Netherlands and I had a show in London (Fashion week, red.), they are familiar with me as I graduated at Central St. Martins. Here it’s all about discovering, of course there are enthusiastic friends and Dutch boutiques visiting the show room, and I’m very happy with them. But we had so many visitors who still need to know me. That part is actually a lot of fun as you learn to analyze yourself. You discover new things about yourself.

Lin. –       People in Paris have a whole other view on fashion. How do they look at your collection?
Mattijs van Bergen –       Oh absolutely, we are so safe and conservative in the Netherlands compared with Paris. You can even see it on the street, here they are so much more daring. It generates constant reactions. They don’t believe you can be too outspoken. There’s definitely a trend on the move where people want more and love every bit of it. They ask for more embroidery, they ask for more of everything! It’s nice to notice that your work interests people.

Lin. –       Every time after Paris I’ll come back feeling as a mademoiselle, forgetting I’m actually from down-to-earth Amsterdam. I see you as one of the few Dutch designers, who does a lot with astonishing silhouettes and ornaments. One of the few who can make this eclectic style actually work for a very broad audience. Do you get influenced by the magic of the home of couture? Or do you stay true to your Dutch heart?
Mattijs van Bergen –       It makes me think because I want to address the international market in the future. My point is, I just notice I like various things and I need to keep the balance in the collection. I need a lot of fabrics, ideas and feelings in a collection. As a designer I think a collection is boring if it’s just carrying one idea. It works for high street fashion, not for design wear. Even though it can be pretty difficult for some people to understand there is so much going on.

People need bite-sized chunks, we are used to that through big high street brands. If it is just getting somewhat complicated and they need to think it will cost some effort. We had a reception in the showroom with some friends from Galliano and English and French press, yesterday. They were completely lyric because they could rapidly make the link.

Lin. –       What interests you more; addressing the masses with an esthetic masterpiece or create a profound concept which most people, or at least at first glance, won’t understand?
Matttijs van Bergen –       This is a difficult question as I think you need both. I want a collection to have different steps. Someone with a smaller budget should still be able to get something nice from MATTIJS. But I still love to do the bigger pieces. I am a designer who wants to dress a lot of different women. I can’t answer when people are asking me who my muse is. Muse is a word with so much limitation as you’re talking about one person. And I would describe the women I try to reach as “sixteen – to the grave”.

It could be a youngster who is excited about fashion or an elderly but sophisticated woman. You can wear it going to work, or to a party, I try to get those dimensions in my collection. Let’s call it a full wardrobe.

Lin. –    You were talking about youngsters, but what about very young girls? For example Thylane Lena-Rose Blondeau is a French 10-year-old child model who has graced the pages of American Vogue wearing heavy make-up and gold stilettos. “To the grave” speaks to the no expiration date in fashion, but at what age should we allow people to enter this glamorous world?
Mattijs van Bergen –    I like it when youngsters are interested. Young girls are lucky, everybody wants to be young. That’s where people are focusing these days. I like it that young people are innovative and combine things in a whole other way than I could imagine. They throw everything together and it will be something new and exciting. I like it when somebody is adapting a clothing piece to their lifestyle. Or even better; when someone is using the pieces in their everyday wear. It gives it an extra dimension.

But seeing the girls getting younger and younger is a difficult thing. You see 14-year-old girls who look amazing in the latest fashion. Girls who need Vuitton bags and more things like that. It worries me that they need to think about these things at such a young age. You should have fun and enjoy your freedom as long as you can.
On the other side.. getting it spoon fed will give you all the ins and outs on how this world works. It makes it exciting again. Of course there is a line where it’s way too young, so that’s why we said sixteen..
Fashion is about staying young and fresh, and the bar is changing all the time.

Lin. –       Talking about being young, everybody must be so proud of you now. Do you come from a family of artists?
Mattijs van Bergen –       (laughs) They are very proud. My mother is a goldsmith and my father is a graphic designer in advertising. So, on one side I have my father with advertising, design and magazines which I could read for hours. And on the other side I have my down-to-earth mom who makes the accessories like the belts and the necklaces. She will always encourage materials, hard work and projects where you can put your teeth in. They gave me the DNA for it.
Lin. –      You have some good support.
Mattijs van Bergen –       It was meant to be, I had no other choice.

Lin. –         Keeping this collection in mind, what does your future look like? We love you in the Netherlands, you blew them away at London Fashion Week, Paris will adore you after this fashion week. What is next? New York?
Mattijs van Bergen –        We’ll try, there is so much interest coming from America, but I think settling there and selling.. that step is just one too big. You’ll need two collections to be able to be active all the time. So it’s something for the future, but when..
(pauses) For now I’ll just focus on Europe.
Lin. –          I’ll bet my readers will love to hear that, they would rather keep you here.

www.mattijsvanbergen.com