The world of Bas Kosters
Heineken and fashion? Many people will raise a quizzical eyebrow thinking about the playful clothing and accessories found in supermarkets around the time of the World Cup Soccer Competitions. However, connections between the beer brand and the higher segment of the fashion industry have been around for years. The 2009 Beat Collection by Bas Kosters (1977) proves this.
The high-profile fashion designer is beloved by high and low culture for his imaginative, often humorous clothing, with colourful prints featuring elements drawn from popular culture. His collections of underwear for Zeeman and hair accessories for Kruidvat sold out in no time. The same applies to the collection he designed in 2009 for the Heineken Brand Store, once located in Amstelstraat in Amsterdam’s Rembrandtplein neighbourhood not far from Club NYX, where Kosters hosted his legendary Anti Fashion Parties from 2008 to 2016.
Scatter pattern
For the Brand Store, Kosters designed the Heineken’s Beat Collection, with graphic prints of objects and logos. These straight black and white trousers, for instance, are printed with a scatter pattern of Heineken cans, beer bottles with the old star label (c. 1930-1950) and foreign ‘Heineken Beer’ logos. Also included are wide-legged trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, a T-shirt, a jumper, a miniskirt, a button-down dress, and a jacket.
Mood board
The poster promoting the collection is a mood board reflecting the designer’s lifestyle. This shows just how diverse the world of Bas Kosters is: as an artist, he creates a world full of love and compassion that fuses couture, fashion and carnival clothes with music and dance in the entertainment culture of the big city. Where everything is accepted if it looks ‘really badass’ Where art and commerce are not enemies, and the Heineken brand merges seamlessly; also note the ‘smiling’ e in the yellow Heineken The City shop logo.
Fashion closer to people
Kosters talked about his Anti Fashion Parties in an interview from that time: ‘The reason I usually don’t show at the Amsterdam Fashion Week is because I want to keep my own identity.’ And: ‘The fashion industry is a very elitist happening and I like my way of bringing fashion closer to the people.’
Inclusivity
The artist and the brewer share the same inclusive mission. Since 2015, Heineken has sponsored Nigeria’s Lagos Fashion Week, an important and, given its traditional emphasis on Europe, highly relevant platform for African fashion talent. The first Heineken Africa Inspired Collection was launched there in 2017 and the Heineken Fashion Design Contest in 2020 giving emerging fashion designers the opportunity ‘to show their unique talent to the world at large.’