Roving reporter, Denre Bruins writes: I was unable to attend the autumn edition of showUP for personal reasons, so it felt great to once again walk through the doors of the Expo Greater Amsterdam and breathe in the atmosphere.
I actually had a plan of action but, before executing this fabulous plan of mine, I decided to first check in with Roelofs & Rubens, who were exhibiting at showUP for the first time. Based on my predictions, I made the assumption that I would find them in hall 2, so I started walking around the aisles hoping to find them soon.
I have been going to showUP for many years now and as you expect, always run into people I have met before. This year was no difference and within an hour of arriving I must have shaken hands an spoken a dozen exhibitors that I had not seen for a while.
It seems I have a familiar face and have been compared to James Bond, Matt Damon, David Bowie, Brad Pitt and many others, but also people who think they have seen me before. While I was walking down the aisles I heard a woman shout “Hey, that’s a familiar face”. I look around and she looks at me and says again “Hey, that’s a familiar face”. A bit embarrassed for not recognising her I walked up to her to get acquainted.
As it turns out, the lady in question was Tiny de Vries, the author of “An Artist Journey”, where she takes you on an odyssey around the world from her studio in Utrecht to the tropical paradise of Bandung, from the warmth of Morocco to the historic beauty of France and beyond, each place offering a new source of inspiration.
Tiny was not the only exhibitor with a focus on Morocco, as Aloud Crafts sells authentic handmade Tamegroute ceramics in a distinctive green colour, made in their workshop in Marrakech.
After I was well informed about the art of Tamegroute ceramics I continued my journey, only to be greeted by this friendly Frenchman who, according to him, happened to bump into me a few weeks before in Paris. I had not been to Paris for several years, but had a bit of a chat and he introduced me to his brand, Sacasalades, which can help you with a zero-waste lifestyle solution. Sacasalades creates cotton and coated cotton food bags, handmade in France. The bags naturally preserve the freshness of salads, raw vegetables, cheese, ham, bread, and pastries without the need for a fridge.
Sustainability has been a hot topic in the Netherlands for years, so also with dappr, which makes sustainable bandage out of bamboo. Considering there are over 200 million units of bandage sold in the UK each year, this is an easy way for households to contribute to a better environment.
New this year is the showUP college and I looked forward to meeting some of the new brands that participated in this initiative. The college prepares new entrepreneurs for a successful launch of their business at trade fairs, by looking at marketing, styling and procurement. This year’s participants were:
Designed by Hoxe – Carmen Hoxe focuses on the subtle beauty of light. Her collection consists of handmade porcelain light shades that bring the warmth and sun light into the house.
Dooie mus (dead sparrow) – Tjalle Niehof & Daniel Gravemakers make humorous gifts for people who already have everything. Their product “The dead sparrow” is a jigsaw made of durable MDF that transforms into an object of art.
Saudade Collective – Valerie Touw stands for craftsmanship and authenticity. With the GLACE collection functionality and unique design are merged into one. Long handles made of glass lead to soft rounded spoons. The handmade cutlery gives colour to each dish.
Pepijn de Greef – Transforming everyday items with a playful twist. His product “CAN” gives the can a colourful and artistic new meaning. This is done by reinterpreting known objects and finding the beauty in it.
Minneworks – Minne Zeijdner offers a durable solution for plastic nursery pots. Made out of discarded wool. Ideal for people looking for alternatives for plastic and a sustainable garden.
Noord See Lights – Mick Simmering and Juliette Mohamede, bring sustainable personalised lighting. The light shades are 3D printed with pland based and recycled materials.
Studio Jess is More – Jess embraces the making process. Her “Lino Prints” are unique hand pressed designs, inspired by nature, humour and playfulness. The prints fit perfectly in concept stores and gift shops, looking for unique handmade art.
The showUP college was a great success and I look forward to seeing the participants again at the next edition of showUP, where they will demonstrate their newly acquired skills.
By now I was almost at the end of hall 1 where I bumped into Margot Vandemoortele, the founder of Flashbag. Flashbag make rucksacks with a reflecting back, so your children stay well visible when on the road.
For those who appreciate art, kunstsokken make socks with prints of well-known paintings. A great way to start a conversation.
A special thanks to Christel Cannister (Christel’s Company) for the beautiful card with a painting of an owl. Charlotte loved it and has added it to her extensive collection of owls.
Furthermore, I’d like to thank the guys from CorrectBook, who make erasable notebooks. I was able to give the notebook is to someone with learning disabilities who now uses it in his English class.
It’s the small things in life that really make the difference and this was confirmed by Roena and Marta from The School of Life, based in London, who are devoted to bringing you self-understanding, deeper friendships, better relationships, calm, greater effectiveness at work and more fulfilment in your leisure time. It certainly worked for me.
After an interesting journey I ended up at the back wall of hall 1 where I finally run into Roelofs & Rubens, who had a great show with many new leads and sales. Rumour has it that they managed to sell their “Delft Blue” tiles to no one less than Royal Delt themselves.
We certainly will see them again at the next edition of showUP, but this time not in the Brabant Hallen in Den Bosch, but at their new location the SugarFactory in Amsterdam. More about this later!
For more info visit the showUP website
