After Elsien Gringhuis successfully graduated in 2008 at ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in Arnhem, she presented her first independent collection during Amsterdam International Fashion Week in July 2009.

She won several international prizes and awards including the Createurope award for ‘Best Avantgarde Designer’ in Berlin, the camera nazionale della moda award for ‘most creative collection of the year’. And the first prize for the HEMA design contest with a sustainable raincoat.

Elsien Gringhuis style is known for the choice of smart simplicity while a complex and innovative construction lies behind the simple eying silhouette.
She is inspired by shape and construction where use of material holds a great share to support the created silhouette.
Other sources of inspiration are the contrast of human power and vulnerability and how we dominate the world with technique. This perspective is reflected in the sharp angular, industrial and futuristic looks.
She uses high quality fabrics like pressed silks, leather and hand coated fabrics.

Her work keeps renewing as she is on a constant quest for new construction techniques. At the same time she tries to make simplicity something special and therefore she stays loyal to the art of the classics. She creates her architectonic look from traditional craftsmanship and her unique coupe construction without using one seam too many.

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.”