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‘I throw myself into everything with gusto'
Bas Kosters broadcasts happy lunacy. His motto? ‘Away with that little grey mouse stuff!'
His hobbyhorses include brightly coloured appliqué and recycling - think a Heineken flag transformed into a skirt - but his most cherished subject is the childlike, naïve illustrations of crazy heads in fluorescent colours that he daubs onto sweaters and hoodies. ‘My work cheers people up - I think that's great!' His refreshing and idiosyncratic designs perfectly suit this day and age.
This bird of paradise's horizons extend beyond fashion. He has enthusiastically turned his hand to dolls, wall hangings, bags and even a Bugaboo stroller. As a ‘fashion-entertainer' - singing or as a DJ - Kosters presents his clothing at a whole diversity of parties and events.
Kosters (b. 1977) graduated from the AKI Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Enschede in 2001. Two years later he completed the MA course at the Fashion Institute Arnhem with Two teacups and a frying pan, a brightly coloured collection for which he also won first prize in the Robijn Fashion Award 2003.
During the ‘Fashion NL: The Next Generation' exhibition at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague in 2006, Kosters caused a stir with his installation, littering a museum gallery with empty beer cans and all kinds of trash, the remnants of a crazy party that went on for days.