This year, Centraal Museum received a large gift from the Dutch fashion designer Mattijs van Bergen (1980). The signature features of Van Bergen’s designs are the use of pleat and of ornamental items. The designer is no stranger to the museum: over the course of several years, many of his creations were added to the collection. After he dissolved his own label in 2018, he offered Centraal Museum the exclusive opportunity to choose items from his archive.

In a small but sparkling presentation, we display part of his generous gift. It offers a wonderful overview of Van Bergen’s oeuvre, from early designs to some of his last creations. In this presentation, Van Bergen has also incorporated a number of art works from our museum collection which visually refer to techniques and materials that inspire him.