Meet Francisco van Benthum. With his remarkable talent for designing men’s fashion, he became a darling of the international avant-garde soon after graduating from The Arnhem Academy of Art and Design in 1995. In 2002 Francisco van Benthum launched his first menswear collection under his own name.

Nowadays he shows his couture on the international runway, for instance here in Paris, during Men’s Fashion Week.

Francisco van Benthum takes the traditional men’s wardrobe as his starting point. Within the outline of the classic menswear silhouette, Van Benthum shifts proportions and adds altered elements based on male stereotypes.

For this show Van Benthum was partly inspired by pre-revolutionary Russian vogue. He chose a daring 19th century colour palette, with references to the decorative dresses of the Tsar and the varied costumes of the Slavic people, adding sophistication in the details.

Modest as he may be, Van Benthum is steadily becoming a household name in the fashion world. Well aware of the constant scrutiny of the international press, he works extremely hard to keep surprising his audience, as well as himself.

CREDITS Director: Michael Schaap, Camera: Pierre Rezus, Sound: Bert van den Dungen, Editing: Jasper Verhorevoort, Music Sound Design: Pastelle, Commissioning editor Submarine: Geert van de Wetering, Producer Submarine: Olivia Sophie van Leeuwen, Produced by Submarine, Commissioned by DutchDFA