News

After months of build-up, on Friday, 5 June 2009, the world’s greatest cultural fashion event was opened in a spectacular manner by Her Royal Highness Princess Máxima of the Netherlands at the Eusebius Church in Arnhem.

‘This year the organisation has yet again managed to create something completely new, inspiring and surprising,’ was the enthusiastic response of the Mayor of Arnhem, Pauline Krikke, to SHAPE. ‘That is precisely what makes the Arnhem Mode Biënnale so special. The choice of venues, the layout of the exhibitions and the selection of designers: the biennale seduces us with the unexpected and the unorthodox every time.’

‘The opening and the exhibition itself have exceeded all my expectations,’ said the biennale’s Artistic Director, Piet Paris. ‘The presence of Princess Máxima is a mark of her appreciation for the field of fashion and a real boost for young designers. Her depth of knowledge about the designers was also a surprise.’