Today I am talking to Hendrik Vermeulen, a South African Couturier, fashion designer, singer-songwriter and producer. In our chat we talk about the importance of time management and structuring in order to enhance creativity and we discuss how careers develop through honest and good personal relations.

At the atelier of multifaceted artist, Hendrik Vermeulen, it is not merely about fashion… It’s about expression, it’s about art.

The garments are made with the utmost care by expert hands, with luxury fabrics that they create or select for their high quality and made with the least impact on the environment.

The exclusive processes used to transform the raw material such as hand dyeing, airbrushing or painting, are mostly performed in-house, following strict guidelines so as to minimise their ecological footprint. Other treatments such as laser cutting or digital printing are performed outside their atelier, under their strict supervision, by companies that have been selected for their similar ethos and work ethics.

Hendrik comments: “In our Atelier we still adhere to the original Haute Couture methods, amongst some of the modern additions, using mostly handwork techniques. Handmade is a term coming often in the description of our fabrication methods; the handwork taking a large part of the time consuming process that a bespoke creation requires. 

Our unique pieces are sewn, adorned, beaded, embroidered, appliquéd and hemmed by hand. These tasks require skills and dexterity as well as experience and are performed by our ‘Little Hands’, who have been working with us for more than a decade. Our finishers and seamstresses are taught in our atelier, to our requirements and those skills are then past over to the next generation.

Our art is mostly inspired by nature; therefore, we make sure that we look after Mother nature in return. We use natural, sustainable fibres such as cotton, silk, linen or wool as much as possible and non-toxic dyes. Many of our collections feature strong messages about conserving nature and appreciating our breathtakingly beautiful fauna and flora. We believe that symbiosis between nature and production using technology is possible, it requires though a firm engagement from all actors to invest in substantially more time and means. We believe in collaborating with like minded people who are sharing similar creative audacity and novelty. 

We strongly believe that everything in this world is interconnected and that  universal love should be the common thread that binds us all.”

https://www.hendrikvermeulen.com/