Improved

Improved is a collective of artists, institutes, companies and scientists who join forces on making design green and smart. It is founded by Maureen van der Brugh and Dominique Almeida. Maureen has a background in projects for media, marketing and innovation. Dominique in education, art and fashion. Improved believes that creativity, entrepreneurship and science in the fields of green and smart are separated islands and that creates an environment where great initiatives and great people can not grow. So if you want to make fashion improved the initiatives need a place to come together. Further more if you create a place where green and smart come together green can be influenced to become smarter and vice versa.

Improved started with a pilot project where a group of three fashion designers made a collection together under supervision of Marina Toeters a designer and teacher familiar with smart and green materials. Fashion designers Fenny Faber, Mirte Engelhard and Samira Algoe used products, developments and knowledge of green and smart materials to make fashion. Think of bio-cottons, non-toxic paint, recycled plastics that look like textiles, Japanese paper with a smart finish so it is water resistant and magnetic zippers. The designers challenged themselves to make new creations, explore new materials and creating an Improved fashion experience with other disciplines. So all stages of fashion from creation until the fashion show got Improved.

Improved is now working on the next stage. Where creating a good infrastructure is the goal for marketing and sales. For example making tools so designers can collectively buy new fabrics from new and improved suppliers and organizing pitch sessions so clients or specific groups of clients in the fashion industry see and believe how they can improve in style. By paving the road, developments find their launching costumers and the fashion industry becomes green and smart aka IMPROVED.

Fashion designers: Mirthe Engelhard, Samira Algoe and Fenny Faber.
Photo's: Menswear Samira Algoe and Womenswear Fenny Faber.
Photograhpy: Louise te Poele, Make-up & Hair: Chiara Caporali and Yana Toatubun, Models: Nin and Afra @ Modelution and Dennis.