Early life
Wilbert Das was born December 2, 1963. He grew up studying and working on his family’s dairy farm in a small village (Riethoven) in the South of Holland before departing at the age of 19 to study fashion design at the highly-revered Academy of Fine Arts in Arnhem, a school which has produced other noted designers such as Annelies Nuy (Der Kommissar) Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren (Viktor & Rolf) and the industrial designer Marcel Wanders .Wilbert’s degree show in 1988 was a resounding success, and forecast some of the stylistic qualities which have become the trademark of his career. Das’s show excluded purely conceptual pieces, but instead featured extremely innovative but wearable interpretations of workwear, leather, and denim, with heavy industrial and streetwear influences, careful detailing, and a high degree of research in the area of materials and treatments. While vintage references were present, the overall impact was overwhelming modernity, a fresh, young perspective on sportswear. Following the collection presentation Das was offered employment opportunities in France and the north of Europe.But Das’s dream was to enter the vibrant Italian casual sector, which featured several prominent figures who had inspired him, such as Adriano Goldschmied of Genius Group, founder of innumerable sportswear labels, Elio Fiorucci of the eponymous brand, and Massimo Osti of the label Stone Island.Thus Das travelled to Italy for a series of interviews, the first of which was with Stone Island. The next day Das attended an interview with the label Diesel, founded as a part of Adriano Goldschmied’s Genius Group in 1978.Diesel’s designer in 1988 was Renny Blasselle, who had earned the label a reputation for making classic denim collections with Western-style themes. Renny interviewed Das and presented him to the head of Diesel, company co-founder Renzo Rosso. A job was proposed to Das on-the-spot, and he accepted and began working that same afternoon, thus marking the start of the collaboration between the industrialist Renzo Rosso and the designer Wilbert Das, a pairing which today represents one of fashion’s longest-running and most successful.
Wilbert Das was born December 2, 1963. He grew up studying and working on his family’s dairy farm in a small village (Riethoven) in the South of Holland before departing at the age of 19 to study fashion design at the highly-revered Academy of Fine Arts in Arnhem, a school which has produced other noted designers such as Annelies Nuy (Der Kommissar) Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren (Viktor & Rolf) and the industrial designer Marcel Wanders .Wilbert’s degree show in 1988 was a resounding success, and forecast some of the stylistic qualities which have become the trademark of his career. Das’s show excluded purely conceptual pieces, but instead featured extremely innovative but wearable interpretations of workwear, leather, and denim, with heavy industrial and streetwear influences, careful detailing, and a high degree of research in the area of materials and treatments. While vintage references were present, the overall impact was overwhelming modernity, a fresh, young perspective on sportswear. Following the collection presentation Das was offered employment opportunities in France and the north of Europe.But Das’s dream was to enter the vibrant Italian casual sector, which featured several prominent figures who had inspired him, such as Adriano Goldschmied of Genius Group, founder of innumerable sportswear labels, Elio Fiorucci of the eponymous brand, and Massimo Osti of the label Stone Island.Thus Das travelled to Italy for a series of interviews, the first of which was with Stone Island. The next day Das attended an interview with the label Diesel, founded as a part of Adriano Goldschmied’s Genius Group in 1978.Diesel’s designer in 1988 was Renny Blasselle, who had earned the label a reputation for making classic denim collections with Western-style themes. Renny interviewed Das and presented him to the head of Diesel, company co-founder Renzo Rosso. A job was proposed to Das on-the-spot, and he accepted and began working that same afternoon, thus marking the start of the collaboration between the industrialist Renzo Rosso and the designer Wilbert Das, a pairing which today represents one of fashion’s longest-running and most successful.
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