Written by Iris te Wieske

The Amsterdam based label Delikatessen, started with the sharp eye for advanced sartorial details and personal reinterpretation of traditional garments of director and designer Andrzej Lisowski. Delikatessen’s concept is to start with a product of purity, Lisowski explains: “Something that achieves balance between old craft and a modern approach to design”.

For Delikatessen’s S/S13 collection, Lisowski teamed up with Michael Kampe, who is an internationally renowned, German designer that graduated at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Characterizing for Kampe’s work is the fact that his designs seek for new directions in denim and street wear. This also shows in the way he describes creativity. “Creativity comes from curiosity and openness, the joy of developing new things, an endless desire to walk new ways, not being afraid to fail and not underestimating other people’s needs and strengths.”

The constructions of the new collection were inspired by high-tech sportswear, but show classic shapes. The capsule collection by Kampe consists of six designs presented in various fabrics; three shirts, a parka, a sweater, and a raincoat. Each design combines two different worlds. Kampe’s sophisticated, three dimensional, exploded geometries are combined with the light-end slim tailoring of Delikatessen.

It is the difference between these two designers what makes their collaboration so unique. The garments of Kampe always feature a mixture of sharp and organic cuts that result in new bold forms. Delikatessen on the other hand, focuses more on well-tailored designs that combine old craft with modern design. Despite all the differences their cooperation went wonderfully well. “It is wondrous how fast something conjured in the mind as a pure idea can turn into reality”, Lisowski says.

With this new collection Lisowski continues to move Delikatessen into a more diverse color palette with a keen sense of proportion, skillfully combining the low-key with the bold. Delikatessen injected a much-needed dose of playfulness into the menswear wardrobe.