Museum Rotterdam (Rotterdam, NL) is currently hosting the exhibition ‘Work Style’, exploring the relationship between work wear and fashion. Work Style is curated by fashion designer Monique van Heist in collaboration with curator Sjouk Hoitsma. For the exhition they selected items from the collection of Museum Rotterdam, other museums and collectors. This resulted in some beautiful examples of old and new work wear and fashion inspired by work wear.

The starting point for Work Style is historical work wear that was made to last during physical labour. The exhibition features items such as jeans that are over a hundred years old, retreaved by ‘denim-archeologists’ in deserted mines, working jackets made of indestructible manchester fabric and overalls in different sizes and shapes.

Garments inspired by work or work wear by designers such as Maison Martin Margiela and Jeroen van Tuyl (pictured above), as well as Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier, Bas Kosters and Walter van Beirendonck are also on display.

Another aspect to the exhibition is a series of portraits of inhabitants of Rotterdam in their working environment, produced by Van Heist. Wear and tear also tells a personal story, which inspires designers. Museum Rotterdam gave seven inhabitants of Rotterdam a pair of Levi’s 501’s, the wear and tear will be regularly documented so the personal patterns can be registered.

WORK STYLE runs until the 3oth of September 2012 in Museum Rotterdam, Schielandshuis, Korte Hoogstraat 31, 3011 GK Rotterdam. More info: www.museumrotterdam.nl