Ronald van der Kemp (born 24 September 1964 in

Wijchen Wijchen () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a town in the province of Gelderland, in the eastern part of the Netherlands. Population centres Number of residents per population centre per 12 December 2009: Source: Statis ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

) is a Dutch

fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

and founder of demi-couture fashion house RVDK Ronald van der Kemp, his namesake label.

Early career

Van der Kemp graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy of Art and Design in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

in 1989 with a BA in fashion design. His early career took him to major fashion cities

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and

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, working as creative director, consultant and chief designer for brands including

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and

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, where he succeeded Elbar Albaz. He also worked alongside

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as chief designer of

ready-to-wear Ready-to-wear (or ''prêt-à-porter''; abbreviated RTW; "off-the-rack" or "off-the-peg" in casual use) is the term for ready-made garments, sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing ...

at Celine. It was in these years as a consultant that van der Kemp honed his technical expertise.

Own label

In August 2014 van der Kemp launched his demi-couture label, RVDK Ronald van der Kemp, presenting his first ‘wardrobe’ during the Paris haute couture calendar in 2015. Shunning the fashion system’s way of doing things, van der Kemp’s proposed ‘wardrobe’ consisted of a selection of limited-edition items that were seasonless and timeless, ethically made with existing fabrics, and crafted by hand in small ateliers in Amsterdam. Net-a-Porter, the luxury ecommerce group, was the first retailer to buy van der Kemp’s demi-couture collection, which has since been worn by celebrities including

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Erika Harwood
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kemp, Ronald van der 1964 births Living people Brand founders Dutch fashion designers Gerrit Rietveld Academie alumni People from Wijchen