Concept book

Conceptbook
Gespreksstof

Preface.
What the future brings
The future will bring us a lot: innovation,
2
reconsideration but above all room for change. To
be able to give a refreshing, diverse vision on fashion
in the world of 2031 as well, thought has been given
to innovative directions Amsterdam Fashion Week
Table of content
could take. With as result, this concept book you’re
looking at called Gespreksstof. A concept that
broadens the definition of fashion once again and
3
- Preface P. 2-3
gives it more meaning, but above all will create a
- The change P. 4-5
unique identity for AFW as a fashion week.
- The brand P. 6-9
- Targetgroup P. 10-11
- Concept proposal P. 12-13
- The product P. 14-15
- Change to lead P. 16-17
- Benefits P. 18-19
- Reason to believe P. 20-21
- Strategy P. 22-23

The most important changes in the future that have their
influence on the brand.
Investment in well-being
Instead of growth
People are aiming for long-term change and want to
invest in their well-being and that of the environment.
They focus on quality and meaning over quantity. If
AFW doesn’t respond to this they will lose potential
visitors/buyers
Search for what is
meaningful:
Change.
4 To bring direction and focus into their lives, people
are constantly redefining what is important to them
and valuable in their eyes. The innovative perspective
of AFW on the definition of fashion can contribute
to this search for meaning.
5
Strive for environmental
change:
More and more people are aware of the condition of
our environment and feel the responsibility to strive
for change. To maintain relevance, AFW must also
take responsibility and be progressive by making
conscious choices.

AFW primarily
provides a platform
for talent, to
celebrate creativity
and support new
designers
- Dani Bles
6 7
Amsterdam Fashion Week
Amsterdam Fashion Week celebrates the Dutch
fashionscape with biannual runway shows,
presentations, podcasts and events. They give
talented creatives a year-round platform on which
their work is celebrated and recognized in the Dutch
fashionscape.
The brand

Brand dna.
Amsterdam Fashion Week
Vision:
We believe in expanding the
definition of fashion
Mission:
We showcase a diverse vision of the
world through fashion events and
bring different sectors of the
8
creative industry together
9
Values
Diversity: By bringing creatives from different
sectors of the creative industry together, AFW
showcases a diverse vision of fashion.
Redefining: The diverse vision of fashion that
AFW showcases, redefines and expands the
definition of fashion.
Support: By bringing together young and
established creatives to learn from each other,
AFW fulfills a supporting role in the creative
industry.

The Consciously
Incompetent
“It is important to consider
your path to fulfillment and
meaning. The more I have
started doing what I think is
important, the more I have
started living my own life and
the more confident I became. I
try to do good for our
environment, to act from
respect and empathy and I see
the world as a unit.”
The ‘Consciously
Incompetent’ is self-aware,
finds personal development
important and chases her
dreams and passions.
What keeps her busy is her
well-being, the well-being
of others and that of the
environment. She desires to
make more well-informed,
sustainable choices to
shape her lifestyle. Not
sure how to change her
patterns, she is willing to
take steps towards a more
conscious life. This is partly
because she doesn’t know
which processes are behind
products but moreover
because she feels the
pressure and expectations
of society to do everything
immediately right. She is
not tolerant towards herself
which makes the barriers
towards this new way of
living too high and the steps
too difficult.
10 11

Gespreksstof
“We must not forget the love and tolerance
towards our own learning process”
Values
Redefining: Gespreksstof redefines the
definition of fashion but moreover the
way we look and tolerate the learning
process towards a more conscious life.
Gespreksstof brings different disciplines
of the creative industry together (art,
fashion and design) and showcases their
process towards a more conscious
lifestyle to inspire, spread knowledge and
lower the thresholds towards this way of
life.
Reinventing: More and more people feel
the desire to make sustainable choices,
but do not really know how. The creatives
of the Gespreksstof edition are searching
for ways to live more consciously and take
the audience with them on this journey in
Gespreksstof.
Concept.
Proposal
12 13
Conversation: Gespreksstof invites
people to engage in conversation with
each other to learn from each other’s way
of thinking and be strengthened by it.

Product.
Gespreksstof is an annual edition with
different themes around conscious and
environmentally-friendly production
Documentary series
14 This documentary series follows creatives while they
create their work in a conscious and environmentallyfriendly
way . Their creation and production process
will be recorded in this documentary series which
Gespreksstof
consists of four editions which can be cornerstones
in the learning process of others towards a more
conscious lifestyle. The first edition of Gespreksstof
is about ‘Power of Local” in which we discuss
different raw materials that can already be found in
power of local
the Netherlands.
15
After Talk
These documentary episodes appeal to the
imagination, provoke discussion and elicit reactions.
Therefore Gespreksstof organizes After Talk after
each episode. This is a meet-up between creatives,
interested parties and experts to discuss the most
recent episode theme of the documentary series.
Fragments from the episode serve as a starting
point for discussion.

Be strengthened by
each other to make
an impact in their
own way
16 17
By showcasing the learning process of
creatives towards a more conscious life,
Gespreksstof creates more tolerance in the
target group. The ‘Consciously Incompetent’
can easily identify themselves in this process
which creates the opportunity to engage
in conversation with each other and be
strengthened by this to make an impact in
their own way.
The changeTo lead

Benefits.
18 19
Meaningful insight
Finding sustainable alternatives takes a lot of time
and requires in-depth research which often, forms
a barrier. Gespreksstof offers innovative insights
and knowledge to help you shape your sustainable
lifestyle.
True self-awareness through tolerance
Gespreksstof shows the learning process towards
this new way of life step by step so that viewers
can easily identify themselves in this process and
become more self-aware and tolerant of their own
journey.
Togetherness
Gespreksstof shows that more people are struggling
on their way to a more sustainable life ,and offers
the opportunity to discuss this together, provides
insights and support each other.

The reason to
believe
AFW wants to broaden
the definition of
fashion to create a
unique identity as a
fashion week. With
‘Gespreksstof’ AFW
can establish a unique
identity, give the
definition of fashion
more meaning and
maintain relevance by
setting an example
towards the entire
creative industry
to produce more
consciously.
20 21

Strategy.
Innovation strategy
In their pursuit of redefining fashion,
AFW will find a more nice group of
customers that will even become bigger
in the future. Instead of speaking to not
anyone in particular, the brand will have
a more meaningful message for people
who really want to listen. Its customer
base will be more loyal and devoted
allowing AFW to grow in making more
conscious choices.
22 23
Business model:
For the Gespreksstof editions, AFW uses the
Intermediary business model. AFW
participates as a intermediary between the
creatives and intrested/visitors and provides
them both knowledge and a change to fulfill
their desire to live more consciously. This
model also contributes to a good impact on
the environment.

THE CHANGE:
Derckx, J. (2018), “Verlangen naar minder” , Amsterdam: Ls
amsterdam
Baren, R. van (2020), “ Babyschaamte: mogen we nog wel
kinderen op deze wereld zetten?” , https://maatschapwij.nu/
blogs/babyschaamte-ethisch-dilemma/ 10-12-19’
Derckx, J. (2020), “ Mijn nieuwe definitie van duurzaam leven” ,
https://growthinkers.nl/medaille/ 15-03-20’
Bregman, R. (2020), Podcast-productie: “ Zo ziet een echte
mobilisatie tegen klimaatverandering eruit” , Correspondent, 22-
10-20’
BRAND:
Amsterdam Fashion Week. (2020), ‘AFW Sept 2020_Recap_v0’
24 25
Amsterdam Fashion Week (2021), ‘About us’ https://
amsterdamfashionweek.nl/about/ 15-01-21
Oliveri. L. (2020), ‘Amsterdam Fashion Week onthult het
complete programma voor AFW Studio voorjaarseditie’ https://
www.vogue.nl/fashion/fashion-nieuws/a30685586/afw-studioeditie-eerste-namen-talentenprogramma-amsterdam-fashionweek/
03-03-20
Fashionunited. (2019), ‘Wat is Amsterdam Fashion Week?’
https://fashionunited.nl/landing/amsterdam-fashion-week/ 10-
04-19
PROTOTYPE:
Ruhe. S. (2013), ‘Visserstruien’ Amsterdam: Forte uitgevers
NPO. (reg.) (2018), Tv-productie ‘Genaaid’, Hilversum: NPO 19-
12-18
Sources
BUSINESS
Sources for businessplan and innovation strategy are in the
businessplan document

Concept book Gespreksstof
Amstrerdam Fashion Week 2021
By Joelle Slootjes