Brand Radar: Camiel Fortgens - the Dutch brand reworking classic garments by hand

Amsterdam-based Camiel Fortgens launched its first sneaker collaboration this autumn, a reworked ASICS GEL-CUMULUS 16. It follows a year in which the unisex brand presented twice on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar, first in a Paris apartment and then on a bistro terrace.

History and evolution

Camiel Fortgens founded the brand in Amsterdam in 2014 after graduating from the Design Academy Eindhoven. Choosing not to attend fashion school gave him an outsider’s view of the industry. Camiel Fortgens received the Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium in 2024 and joined the official Paris Fashion Week calendar in June 2025 with a street presentation in Paris.

Success drivers

The brand describes its garments as unpolished reinterpretations of ready-to-wear archetypes, executed as “perfectly imperfect” pieces, and cites exposed construction and deconstructed detailing as hallmarks of its collections. Camiel Fortgens says its collections are handmade in small-scale ateliers, mainly in Portugal, Ukraine and Bulgaria, with fabrics from mills in Japan, Italy and the UK.

The label also works with other brands and institutions. The ASICS sneaker, made for ASICS SportStyle’s Crafts for Minds programme, launched on September 25 at Tillatec in Amsterdam, followed in October by a release at Dover Street Market London. Last year, the label created a Cut to Wear T-shirt with the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, on sale from November 2025.

Price positioning

On the brand’s webshop, a painted long-sleeve T-shirt costs 300 euros, Family Pants 400 euros and the Frankenstein merino wool knit 540 euros. A shearling coat is priced at 3,900 euros, and the ASICS sneaker at 250 euros. This places Camiel Fortgens in the designer segment.

Footprint

Camiel Fortgens presents two main collections a year in Paris, alongside collaborations. It sells through its webshop, its C.F. Store in Amsterdam and stockists in 13 countries. Asia holds the most doors, with 16 retailers in Japan, including Isetan and United Arrows, and 10 in South Korea. In Europe, the brand is stocked by Printemps and L’Eclaireur in Paris, Awaykin in London and Afura in Amsterdam; in North America, by SSENSE in Canada and 11 US retailers, including H. Lorenzo.

Future outlook

Camiel Fortgens has not publicly announced expansion plans. In 2026, it presented both its autumn/winter 2026 and spring/summer 2027 collections on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar, before showing spring/summer 2027 again at Amsterdam Fashion Week, inside an Albert Heijn supermarket. According to the brand, its shows take place outside traditional settings, blurring the line between fashion and everyday life.

For more information, check the brand page.