On September 11, Scotch&Soda unveiled its new collection at Fashion Week. A few months before, Luxsure had the privilege of meeting the tandem behind the brand’s success. Here’s a look back at the show and the story of an encounter:
Spring/Summer 2017 in the City
New season, new collections. Like every year, it’s New York that opens the runway shows. Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs, but also new rising stars such as Scotch&Soda. For the second season running, the Dutch-born brand drops anchor in the Hudson. Far from the usual catwalks, it offers a creative cultural experience where the public can discover the many facets of the Scotch&Soda universe. Already well-established in Germany and the Netherlands, this show pays tribute to the spirit of expedition and travel characteristic of the brand, whose freedom is being exported more and more around the world every day (160 boutiques at the time of writing). A “Jungle” atmosphere with a long dress and lavaliere collar in the spirit of the seventies. The highlight of this collection: the combination of bright pop colors with more classic tones. Innovative combinations: perfectos meet ethnic dresses, suit jackets meet prints. 
Adventure on the menu
A few months before launching their first international campaign, Adam Kakembo and Marlou van Engelen shared their secrets, inspirations and desires with us. Invited into the former church where the creative process takes place: Luxsure discovers an unusual land where designers wander among fabrics, second-hand clothes, travel objects and moonboards from all over the world. A fashion microcosm at the heart of a city of conquerors: “Each collection is built around a new story,” says Marlou Von Engelen, Santiag in hand. Paris beware!
“Travelling is about discovering people: how they communicate and live. It’s not staying in a hotel or following a tourist trail. It’s about adventure.
Marlou Van Engelen joined the Scotch&Soda adventure in 2007. Since 2015 she has been in charge of designs for the entire brand, encouraging every member of the team (from stylists to salespeople) to express their style and assert their authenticity.
After studying art and design, she set sail for London, where fashion and styling proved an obvious career choice. “History teacher” is also a sentiment that the young designer feels, finding inspiration in museums but above all in travel. Ever since she was a little girl, Marlou has traveled the world with her parents, bringing back unique pieces that now form the basis of her collections. More than just fabrics and objects, Marlou observes the ways of living, eating and sharing that underpin each custom: “Travelling means discovering people: how they communicate and live. It’s not staying in a hotel or following a tourist trail. It’s about adventure. To share these journeys with the world, it was necessary to move up a gear, and that’s where Adam Kakembo comes in. With his feet firmly planted on the ground, this London-born father of one arrives with a career already well spent. He has revitalized the image of brands such as Wrangler, and intends to give back to the potential of Scotch&Soda. A style where detail is paramount, he seems to be the ideal balance to Marlou’s colorful style. The magic is working, as the brand continues to climb the ladder.
France: the next land of adoption
France is one of their projects. In fact, one of Marlou’s earliest fashion souvenirs is a pair of moccasins given to her by her father while they were on vacation in the South of France. The French “je-ne sais-quoi” never leaves the designer, who likes to look at photographs by Jane Birkin or Lou Doillon. This “worked faux negligé”, and an indefinable naturalness that seduce the young designer. Some of the looks from the latest fashion show pay homage to the Bardot look in “Les pétroleuses”.
In turn, the duo seduces us: with them, “business as usual” takes on a different air. Difference is a manifesto for Adam Kakembo:
“Scotch&Soda thinks and does things differently. Always.”
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