Today, Dutch fashion designer Jan Taminiau presented his new collection in the residence of the Dutch Embassy as part of the Couture Week in Paris. This time, the designer consciously chose a different approach which was more personal and intimate and in direct contact with his audience. In addition, a new interactive web application experience was launched during the show that allowed the audience to see the smallest details in close-up on their phones or tablets. Guests were welcomed with the letter below.

I am honoured to present you my new collection today.

In July of this year, I will be celebrating my tenth anniversary as a fashion designer. After almost ten years of traditional catwalk shows, I opted for a more intimate salon presentation, one that allows me to take you on an explorative expedition. It is a personal journey in which I show my passions, like my love for the crafts, and how I enjoy the way everything comes together in a modern couture collection.

The starting points for this collection are a photograph that is very dear to me, an antique scarf, and an orchid. In the photograph from the forties, my grandmother poses as the refined woman she was, in a tough looking biker jacket, ready to conquer the world. The old scarf from India moves me with its modest and simple embroidery. The orchid managed to inspire me with its fragile nerve pattern, which can be recognized in the fine embroidery and craquele leather in some of the dresses of my collection. As you will see, couture is about details.

My world exists as a mix of past and present, technique, and craft. I translate all these elements, including my emotions, in to shapes and materials. That is how I layer my collection, and create a force field between materials: shine versus matte, and hard versus soft. 

Jan Taminiau 

In the new collection, an important role was reserved for the orchid. One can find so many characters in this plant, some are powerful and abundant, others are refined and modest, but all are royal.

While working on his new collection, Jan Taminiau found himself inspired by the orchid. The shapes, the fragile nerve pattern, and the colours were all sources of inspiration. The collection, including two dresses and other pieces inspired by orchids, was presented on 20 January during the Paris Haute Couture fashion show. The dresses symbolise the orchid’s status in the plant kingdom. Not only is the orchid the Queen of Plants; it is also the perfect living fashion and home accessory.

The dress was inspired by the Phalaenopsis, an orchid with a name derived from the Greek words ‘Phalaina’ (moth) and ‘opsis’ (resembling).  The story goes that during one of his trips, Dutch botanist, Dr C.L. Blume, saw a group of butterflies floating almost motionless beside a tree. These turned out to be Phalaenopsis orchids. Jan Taminiau was also inspired by the Vanda Orchid. The Vanda is a rare orchid that does not need any earth to survive. Its roots hang loose in the air or wrap themselves around  trees. Several other pieces in Jan Taminiau’s 2014 collection were inspired by orchids.

Jan Taminiau on the orchid as a muse: “I wanted to discover the possibilities that the orchid has to offer, and be guided by the orchid’s colours, its vein-like structures, and its variegated shades. The orchid not only inspired me, it surprised me. Orchids are every bit as fascinating as the women who walk into my studio.”

Jan Taminiau on the orchid’s beauty as a living accessory: “As with people, an orchid is a living thing that grows more beautiful with time.”

Images JANTAMINIAU
Credits: Duy Vo