Move over Milan, Paris and London – Amsterdam is Europe’s new capital of cool fashion

Amsterdam’s flourishing food and fashion scenes have made the capital of the Netherlands a magnet for creative folk from both overseas and elsewhere in the country

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Bloemgracht canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Boasting flourishing food and fashion scenes, the Dutch capital is attracting creative entrepreneurs from all over the Netherlands – and the world Photo: Getty Images

Zoe Suen

Published: 12:45pm, 7 Sep 2024

When Julia Khan Anselmo moved with her fiancé from Vancouver, Canada, to Amsterdam in 2017, she chose the Dutch capital largely for its convenience. Alongside its famously efficient and well-connected airport, the city felt like a perfect middle ground between Ireland and Spain, where his and her families live, respectively.

“We didn’t have jobs, and we didn’t know anyone here. We just packed up our things and built our life here”, laughs Anselmo, who has her own fashion brand but is currently focusing on hosting feminist supper clubs under the moniker Feisty Feast and helping other fashion brands stage promotional dinner parties.

Seven years on, Anselmo’s choice has aged well.

Not only is Amsterdam – a city already known for its easy-going ambience, world-class museums, timeless canal-side architecture and planet-friendly bike culture – home to a flourishing restaurant scene, it has also nurtured a growing number of chic fashion brands and boutiques.

Julia Khan Anselmo in Amsterdam. She hosts feminist supper clubs under the moniker Feisty Feast. Photo: Lulu Verbeek

“There’s been a big boom here”, says Anselmo, who attributes the shift to “the number of expats coming in and starting interesting businesses, but also the pandemic, because people realised how important food and coming together is.”

It’s not just foreigners who are gravitating towards Amsterdam, which had its former golden age as a global trading hub in the 16th and 17th centuries. According to Christian Heikoop, founder and creative director of accessories label Maeden, more and more Dutch entrepreneurs are anchoring themselves to the city and its gentle pace.