New Amsterdam Surf Association and the Rijksmuseum join hands in honor of landmark Vermeer exhibition
Publication date: 20 April 2023 - 10:48
Streetwear brand made by surfers New Amsterdam Surf Association and
Rijksmuseum prove that old masters make enchant young art lovers. The creative
collaboration sees a capsule collection with New Amsterdam classic graphic tees and new silhouettes, all based around certain concepts that are significant for the Dutch 17th century master painter Johannes Vermeer, of whom the largest exhibition ever is currently on view at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Paul Zeper, founder of the brand, used Rijksstudio, a tool from the Rijksmuseum, to freely
use the museum’s artworks, early in his career. It was fascinating to him how the canvas of
a work of art matters so much to the group of people who admire the work. If you place the Night's Watch on a cap or a t-shirt, it speaks to different people than museum visitors in the Gallery of Honor. Bringing these groups and worlds closer together is the goal of this
collaboration.
The collection
With an embroidered cardigan with 'The Milkmaid’, a blue jacket that symbolizes the skirt of ‘Woman Reading a Letter’ and a silk scarf from ‘The Little Street’ with a surfboard
incorporated, explores the brand Vermeer's works on a new canvas.
New Amsterdam Surf Association took inspiration for their small collection from works from Vermeer that are always displayed in Rijksmuseum. Staying close to their own roots.
The first and most conceptual piece from the collection is the Blue jacket. The brand
thought about placing Vermeer’s iconic clothing pieces in their brand philosophy, combining streetwear and functionality. The dress of the ‘Woman in Blue Reading a Letter’ is transformed into a workwear jacket, accommodating the surfers’ lifestyle. They created an oversized A-shape jacket with similar blue fades and shades in a heavy cotton canvas. With this jacket comes a matching tote bag.
Even though Vermeer’s paintings have a very realistic outlook looking at them from a
distance, when up close you’ll notice the rough strokes. New Amsterdam Surf Association took this roughness and used it as inspiration for their ‘Milkmaid’ cardigan. This piece is made in Italy and is embroidered in one rough stroke that follows the outline of the painting.
The campaign image shows the surf lifestyle placed in Vermeer. A small surfboard is
incorporated in the classic painting ‘The Little Street’. This image is also in the collection,
presented on a 100% silk scarf.
The rest of the collection shows Vermeer’s works translated into a teddy jacket, a relaxed
shirt and organic tees and a long sleeve. All in classic Vermeer colors.
The collection is available from April onwards in Rijksmuseum, New Amsterdam Surf.
Association’s flagship store and webshop and selected retailers.
The campaign
The campaign brings the brand’s thought behind this collaboration to life – redefining Vermeer through a change of canvas. In the campaign, New Amsterdam Surf Association recreated the ‘Woman in Blue Reading a Letter’ in modern times. The brand took the woman’s blue top and translated this into a workwear jacket, in a similar blue tone. The zippers on the sides of the jacket create the same fit as the one in the painting.
Shot by Philippe Vogelenzang, New Amsterdam Surf Association invited their community, their ‘association’, to model the campaign. In the set, designed by Amaro Studio, the lifestyle brand added some fun details to underline the brand’s character. The landmap has been transformed into a wind map and instead of looking at a letter, like in the painting, the brand’s community is looking at their phones. Most likely they’re checking the wave forecast or the webcam of Wijk aan Zee.
About New Amsterdam Surf Association
New Amsterdam Surf Association is a streetwear brand made by surfers. Unlike the tropical environments normally associated with surfing, founder Paul and the in-house surf team are used to dealing mainly with brown water, muddy shorelines, cold water temperatures and high winds, but it will never stop them from doing what they love most. This also entails a lot of creativity for the Amsterdam lifestyle brand.
The New Amsterdam X Rijksmuseum capsule collection is here available.
