van Deurs: 30 years of passion for pleated fashion and upcycling

Design brand van Deurs is based on a love of fabrics and pleating craftmanship. The unique accessories are made with a sustainable design process and upcycling in mind.

Stockholm-based van Deurs came to life in 1992, when Susanne Beskow graduated from the renowned Beckman’s College of Design, where she won the prestigious H&M Scholarship for her graduation collection consisting of pleated garments. She later travelled to the UK and was blown away by the pleating craftsmanship, which became the focus of her brand. The award-winning designer has exhibited at fashion and design weeks around the world, in places like Tokyo, Paris and New York, as well as in Stockholm.

For 30 years, Beskow has nurtured a passion for upcycling and a sustainable design process, transforming carefully selected fabrics and hand-picked vintage scarves from travels into exclusive pleated accessories. “Design is an opportunity for upcycling,” she says. “We don’t need to produce more; instead, we can use existing fabrics and recreate them into something new, something that can be brought to life and loved again. This is what I’m passionate about: true upcycling.”

Over the years, van Deurs has collaborated with several brands and some designs can be seen in the collections at Nordiska Museet and Röhsska Museet. Beskow has used scarves from second-hand store Myrorna to make exclusive pleated bags sold at the luxury department store NK, a project that won her Formex Formidable in 2009. “This was upcycling deluxe!” she smiles. “By using waste fabrics, I managed to create something new and with an increased value.”

New designs are released a few times per year, all one-offs and numbered pieces. While the largest market is the US, where the brand has four boutiques, you can find the designs at selected stores in Sweden, as well as online.

Web: www.vandeurs.se
Facebook: van-Deurs
Instagram: @vandeurs_sthlm