Beau Bertens

Delighted to have worked with Johnny & Ike on the identity design for their newly born architecture practice, LOGO OFFICE. The placeholder website builds upon the concept of Valerio Olgiati’s book, The Images of Architects, where a careful selection of images provides insight into the origins of their practice, gradually merging with future projects over time. Wonderful to see it come to life! Website development by Romeo van Snick

every now and then I need to throw myself into the archive of books, to touch the pages that move me oh kutt sister to butt only three issues ever made yet what a legacy all editions are held within the atria & ihlia lgbti heritage collections, in the netherlands 🫶

From pamphlets in the 19th century to distress notes tucked into Primark trousers today, women have always found ways to write and warn — exchanging the informal knowledge necessary for survival and resistance. In the MacGuffin contribution 'Women Unstitched', Hanka van der Voet describes how the struggle of seamstresses — against wage slavery and for a seat at the table — remains eerily familiar, a thread still tugging at the seams of today’s fashion industry. Recently, Hanka also published the significant and beautifully designed publication 'All Work is Women's Work'. It recovers the forgotten story of The Seamstresses’ Union, one of the first all-female labour unions in the Netherlands. It's radical use of print media challenged patriarchal and capitalist systems in the early 20th century. Written by @hankavdvoet Designed by @beaubertens Published by @libraryofunrulyfashionpractice @clotheslines.press #macguffinmagazine #thestitch .

‘All Work Is Women’s Work’ uncovers the forgotten story of De Naaistersbond, one of the first all-female labour unions in the Netherlands, and their radical use of print media to challenge patriarchal and capitalist systems in the early 20th century. Part of this multi-modal publishing project is a series of garments produced with Alia Mascia’s XEROXED. This collaboration represents a shared commitment to fashion as a site of critical inquiry and social engagement. Together, we’ve transformed archival fragments into a wearable publication. The XEROXED garments, as wearable publications, function as moving memorial plaques in public space, honouring the often invisibilised histories of working-class women. By translating archival materials into garments that can be worn and displayed, this project transforms these pieces into living monuments, bringing the stories of seamstresses and their labour into the everyday visibility of urban life. These garments, imbued with the traces of marginalised histories, challenge the erasure of working-class women’s contributions, creating a tactile and embodied form of remembrance. In this way, they can reclaim public space as a site for collective memory, ensuring that these histories are not confined to the past but actively reimagined and re-lived in the present. The XEROXED garments will be sold at the launch of ‘All Work Is Women’s Work: On The Seamstresses’ Union’s Radical Publishing Practices in Early 20th-Century Amsterdam’ at @san.serriffe on December 19th. Prices will be between 50 and 70 euros. All proceeds from the sale of the garments at the launch will be donated to Librarians and Archivists with Palestine. This project was made possible through the @afk020 and the @kostuumvereniging . Photography and art direction by Beau Bertens. #allworkiswomenswork #allearbeidisvrouwenarbeid #libraryofunrulyfashionpractices

Launching at @san.serriffe on Friday December 19th: ‘All Work is Women’s Work: On The Seamstresses’ Union’s Radical Publishing Practices in Early 20th-Century Amsterdam’, an exploration of feminist labour history and the power of radical publishing. The publication, designed by @beaubertens , uncovers the forgotten story of The Seamstresses’ Union, one of the first all-female labour unions in the Netherlands, and their radical use of print media to challenge patriarchal and capitalist systems in the early 20th century. Inspired by the poignant words of a late 19th-century seamstress’ poem—“We stitch our sweat and tears, like shining pearls on lace, three cents, three cents an hour”—this project delves into the struggles and triumphs of working-class women who fought for fair wages, dignity, and autonomy. Through their newspaper, De Naaistersbode (“The Seamstresses’ Courier”), the union created a vital communication channel that connected women across Amsterdam, amplifying their voices and fostering solidarity in the face of exploitation. The project is a feminist intervention into the archives, drawing on Sarah Ahmed’s assertion that “documentation is a feminist project.” It brings to light the radical publishing practices of The Seamstresses’ Union, situating them within a broader history of leftist and anarchist print culture. In a Cixousian act of “writing the body,” the project reinscribes the seamstresses’ struggle into the present through the body of the text, the fabric of the city, and the materiality of dress. By mapping key sites of labour activism, republishing archival materials through @xero.xed , a garment publishing platform founded by @aliamascia , and providing a sticker to mark these hidden histories in Amsterdam’s urban landscape, this project reimagines the archive as a space of “active recollection” rather than a static repository. This project has been made possible by @afk020 and the @kostuumvereniging . #libraryofunrulyfashionpractices #allworkiswomenswork #allearbeidisvrouwenarbeid

Proud to share that HET ATLIJD has been selected as one of the Best Dutch Book Designs of 2024! Huge thanks to everyone involved in bringing this project to life. The selection is on view at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam until January 4th. The accompanying publication, featuring all awarded books, as shown here, is designed by Jeremy Jansen, with photography by Justina Nekrašaitė. HET ALTIJD | DE SCHOOL, 2016-2024 Initiator: Jochem Wertheimer Concept and edit: Leendert Sonnevelt & Nathan Kofi Design: Beau Bertens Creative supervision: Melisa Cenik Contributing photographers: Angelina Nikolayeva, Anne van der Weijden, Barrie Hullegie, Beemflights, Daryl Mulvihill, Jean van Lingen, Loes de Boer, Lonneke van der Palen, Martijn Savenije, Peter Tijhuis, Vincent Conijn Printing: Wilco Art Books Lithography: Mariska Bijl Distribution: De School, Jesse Presse, Nomorewords, One Eye Witness

Custom type design created for the publication Practising Solidarity. Anne Noor is a script-based typeface designed together with @manon_fraser_ . Inspired by the textures of needlework, this typeface became a personification of womanhood and handcraft, incarnated in a fictional persona Anna Noor.

Excited to share that the book design I started a long time ago is finally out! Practising Solidarity, the follow-up to ‘Dissolving the Ego of Fashion’ by Daniëlle Bruggeman — brings together inspiring collaborations reflecting on how fashion can foster solidarity with all living beings through critical, affirmative, and embodied practices. Published by ArtEZ Press. Cover & type design with @manon_fraser_ Image by @zindzizwietering

We officially started working on the development of the final pieces, part of our collaboration with @hankavdvoet @libraryofunrulyfashionpractice 📄🖨️ For this project, we were asked to create a series of artworks and layouts starting from a selection of archival material belonging to The Seamstresses’ Union, one of the first all-female labour unions in the Netherlands. These layouts are now being re-activated through a series of XEROXED wearables and will be launched later this year together with a paper publication designed by @beaubertens 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝑾𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏’𝒔 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌: 𝑶𝒏 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔’ 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏’𝒔 𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 20𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒚 𝑨𝒎𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒎. This publication uncovers the forgotten story of The Seamstresses’ Union and their radical use of print media to challenge patriarchal and capitalist systems in the early 20th century. Inspired by the poignant words of a late 19th-century seamstress’ poem—“We stitch our sweat and tears, like shining pearls on lace, three cents, three cents an hour”—this project delves into the struggles and triumphs of working-class women who fought for fair wages, dignity, and autonomy. Through their newspaper, De Naaistersbode (“The Seamstresses’ Courier”), the union created a vital communication channel that connected women across Amsterdam, amplifying their voices and fostering solidarity in the face of exploitation. #criticalfashionpublishing #libraryofunrulyfashionpractices #allworkiswomenswork

Officially, this project was launched during the Covid period. At the time, I hesitated to share it publicly, questioning its relevance in troubling times. A moment that stirred an ongoing reflection on my role as a maker in a world in crisis. Yet, alongside an always present love for archiving as a rebellious act, felt it is time to share this project here. UNCOVER is an online archive that began as a personal collection of fashion-related publications. As I started working with more fashion related clients, I became curious about the role of the book within fashion culture during the rise of the digital era and the role they play within branding giving brands context and depth. The website presents a curated archive of fashion publication artefacts spanning 1970–2000, with the aim of creating a decentralised network of resources. So, if you know any of these publications are part of a public collection link me up. The platform is further enriched by reflections in the form of writings by Emma Singleton, Laura Gardner, Femke de Vries, Colby Vexler, and Justin Clemens. Web development by F451. Kindly supported by the Creative Industries Fund.

A spread from Press & Fold Issue #02, exploring resistance through the work of Elena Braida & Francesca Lucchitta. 📰 Image by Zindzi Zwietering.

This was on my mind while thinking about the development of Pillow Talk 💭 Slide 1: Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence, 1974 Slide 2 & 3: A.F. Vorst, Dreaming / Sleeping, 1999 Slide 4: Sophie Calle, The Sleepers, 1979