Dutch artist, Nanna Van Blaaderen, designs 100% natural fashion knitwear and home textiles that are visually inspired by the diversity of nature, and produced with the mentality that what humans make must remain in balance with what nature makes. At DeNada, we are inspired by Blaaderen’s admirable environmental mission and experimental sculptural designs that simultaneously fuse her two passions: animals and sustainability.

Nanna Van Blaaderen was born in the Netherlands where she remained to study fashion design and fashion forecast at The Willem De Kooning Academy. After graduating, Blaaderen continued to specialize in knit design and worked as a designer and fashion consultant for Maison Martin Margiela fashion house before she founded her own namesake label in 2011. In 2015, Nanna Van Blaaderen was the Woolmark Europe Women’s Wear prize winner which recognized her unique point of view and innovative use of wool in her designs. Blaaderen attempts to provide alternatives to fur by producing artistic and ethically grounded garments in collaboration with the Dutch Textile Industry. Her predominant use of merino wool, a uniquely soft and breathable variety, bridges the gap between nature-inspired fashions and functional garments for fast-paced life.

Nanna Van Blaaderen’s designs are inspired by an appreciation for the beauty and resilience of life on earth. Her use of natural fabrics is a tribute to nature and her 3D and structural garments recognize the mesmerizing forms found in the natural environment. Her hand knitted collections, designed with flexible merino wool, reflect the strength and elasticity of life that thrives in extreme and ever-changing conditions. Blaaderen channels various aspects of wildlife into her collections; pieces from her 2014-2015 fashion collection called “invisible”,  were inspired by the white fox’s ability to camouflage in its snowy habitat. Blaaderen draws on this idea of protection to materialize a tangible collection that is both beautiful and functional. The collection “visible” similarly integrates the obscure and seductive prints of African animals into delicate yet practical designs. Continued experimentation with natural materials and knitting techniques have yielded voluminous and sculptural garments that explore the relationship between the human body and ideas like protection and vulnerability, and coverage and exposure.

At DeNada we admire Nanna Van Blaaderen’s seamless integration of nature from inspiration to the production of her garments. Her designs truly pay homage to the art of knits and to the beautiful forms of nature.  

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