Elsien Gringhuis successfully graduated in Fashion Design from the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Arnhem in 2008. Since then, she presented her collections during Amsterdam International Fashion Week.

Gringhuis’ style is characterised by innovative minimalism. She aims to get the maximum out of the minimal. Her clothes represent a smart simplicity while a complex and innovative construction through patterns lies behind the simple eying silhouette. And working with as few pattern pieces as possible, she saves work in cutting, pasting and stitching, and in this way, she achieves a form of sustainability.

Elsien Gringhuis’ design principal is completely based on sustainability. Form, function, material and finishing all contribute to a maximum performance fashion product; wearable, functional and contemporary designs with a long life span due to their quality. The choice of materials consists of hand dyed silks, bamboo, wool and cotton, all with a certified eco and/or fair trade label.

Elsien also won several international prizes including the Createurope Award for ‘Best Avant-garde Designer’ in Berlin, the Camera Nazionale Della Moda Award for ‘most creative collection of the year’, Mittelmoda, Italy. And first prize with the HEMA design contest with a sustainable raincoat.

And she won the first prize in The Green Fashion Competition, initiated by AIFW and the Dutch ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV). The jury rewarded Elsien Gringhuis with a €25.000 check for bringing the best businessplan in supporting biodiversity.

Next to her high-end sales collection Elsien Gringhuis is momentarily working on a second, more affordable line called BASIC ONES.

Quote:
“A functional and well thought out design makes me very happy. All good things are simple, but there is nothing more difficult than to make a good and simple design.”