The Post-Couture Collective, a project by Martijn van Strien, offers an alternative to today’s fashion system. His clothing is designed on the principles of open source. The collection MPHVS ONE | OFF consists of six archetypal pieces designed by van Strien. They were developed for production on a laser cutter and assembled by the end user.

The minimalistic and slightly futuristic designs are cut from Spacer fabric; a 3D-knit that is soft, breathable and at the same time strong enough for the innovative construction method. This high-tech material is made from recycled PET-bottles, and it is itself also recyclable. Consumers can choose to receive a made-to-measure construction kit at home, or they can use a laser cutter in a local makerspace in combination with patterns that can be digitally downloaded on the website.

Sustainability, innovation and local production should be the fashion industry’s main priorities according to Martijn van Strien. His innovative way of producing clothes makes it worthwhile to stop centralizing production in low-wage countries and to spread it over the entire world instead. In the local production spaces, the clothes aren’t made until someone buys them, which drastically reduces the waste stream.

The second Post-Couture collection is created in collaboration with the laser cutting studio Maakbaar and the sustainability initiative of the city of Antwerp. The design team consists of local, Antwerp-based designers related to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.