Michael Van Der Ham has been one of the most talked-about designers at London Fashion Week this season (apart from the unanticipated kerfuffle over Hakaan), with almost every editor or blogger worth their salt, gushing over his super feminine, jigsaw dresses.
I had the pleasure of meeting softly spoken Michael at the exhibition and found him as utterly charming as his collections. Michael told me that the pieces were made using Liberty Art Fabric, vintage material and silks sourced from Italy.
In fact, Michael’s show has been sponsored by Liberty and with the support of Yasmin Sewell, his collection will be stocked there.
Michael’s second show at Fashion East was a flurry of bold pastel dresses created in a palette of fuschia, coral, neon pink navy and grey. He plays with the idea of decontructing dresses and reworking them with juxtaposing weights and textures, creating a patchwork effect. One single dress could include a concoction of mohair, silk, sheer jacquards, satin organza and a cluster of Swarovski crystals.
Each garment has a unique feel and has been created using a range of techniques such as curved seams, gathering and draping. This season, he has also expanded into knitwear, collaborating with CSM classmate and knitwear designer, Morgan Oliver.
The popularity of Michael Van Der Ham’s garments lies in his innate understanding of what women would love to wear. While the dresses are incredibly pretty, they have a quirky, crafted element and sometimes teeter on the borderline of garish. But you just have to look at Marc ‘Ugly Betty’ Jacobs’ success to realise that many of us like our fashion with a good dose of granny prints and colour clashing.
Michael Van Der Ham’s jigsaw colour clashing reminds me very much of Erotokritos, whose garmets are usually accentuated with with quilting, knits and sparkly panels. It also can’t be ignored that Erdem has paved the way for Michael, preparing the fashion world for ‘the new prettiness’ (coined by British Vogue’s Harriet Quick) and helping the revive florals from sartorial siberia.
Even more impressive, Michael Van Der Ham is a one man publicity machine, even handling press enquiries and sample requests on his own. Michael left The Netherlands to work with avant-garde New York label, As Four, then moved to London to assist Alexander McQueen and Sophia Kokosalaki, before graduating from the Central Saint Martin’s M.A Fashion course. With the support of Fashion East and Liberty, he is sure to be a ‘one to watch’ in seasons to come.