• Pansy

    Alina, the ‘pansy behind Pansy,’ is a visual artist working with print, illustrations, and ceramics. She moved to Amsterdam from Perth to share her work through collaborative projects, workshops, and exhibitions.

    There are many ways to describe Pansy, but none really do it justice—you simply have to see it yourself.

    All the playfully creative objects that you can see through the window will certainly catch your attention, but once you step in and start reading between the lines, you realise that there’s more to it than just aesthetics.

    People, and especially artists, shape the world around them. The space that Alina created in Pansy breathes with lightness and joy. It seems that the gloomy mood of Amsterdam helps this ray of happiness shine even brighter.

    Everything from Alina’s outfit to the artwork and the font colour in her emails is colour-coordinated with attention to detail that can only come from true love for what you do. The place is truly an extension of Alina’s friendly and welcoming nature. This is true about every detail you can think of—including the toilet.

    Enter the toilet.

    Some toilets are places we want to forget immediately. The better ones are nice, but once you enter the place of the deed in Pansy, you will never be the same. From the inside, the door is covered in a mindmap of what can only be described as a creatives’ master plan to take over the world—or, at least, to become a blooming version of your artistic self.

    If you want to know what Pansy is all about, spend some time at the toilet. It is akin to a psychedelic revelation.

    Czaar Peterstraat 68 | Amsterdam

    @helloitspansy

  • La Louême

    Dining with style and love for green.

    We quickly lose appreciation for anything old. What if people already created so much that we don’t need to make more? We could slow down a little and look for beauty in places we took for granted.

    Laura, Emmy and their dog, Guus, run their vintage glass boutique, La Louême, with this powerful idea close to their hearts.

    Rumours say that one day, they got into a van and went on an adventure to France in search of the most beautiful pieces of artisan glass. At some point, this adventure became a habit, and today, their collection ranges from accessible, simple pieces to precious collector items.

    La Louême is a wave of carefully colour-coordinated vintage tableware with subtle accents of pieces from other materials that were just too adorable to leave behind.

    Czaar Peterstraat 114 | Amsterdam

    @laloueme

  • Madam in Amsterdam

    Madam is a jewellery boutique and art gallery in a typical Jordaan townhouse. The owner, Mimi, makes rings, earrings, and pendants in subtle styles and bold, striking creations. Czech glass and prints by other artists elegantly complement the pieces.

    The four skewed walls of house number 1 used to host King’s seamstress in the past and today overflow with small original art pieces connecting gentle and mischievous styles. A short walk up the vintage spiral stairway unveils the desk where Mimi crafts her jewellery, and the rest of the floor serves as an exposition and workshop space. 

    Visit Madam if you are searching for small original gifts.

    Oude Leliestraat 1 | Amsterdam

    @madam.inamsterdam

  • Creme de la Cream

    Not all vintage stores are made equal.

    Some sell old clothes, and others are time-travelling machines that teleport you to a different dimension through a carefully crafted sensory massage. Behind every such place is a person who lives and breathes vintage.

    Creme de la Cream is exactly such a place, and Flip is your guide through this universe dressed as a cutout of a street thug in Little Italy during the Goodfellas era.

    Carefully curated selection of the most iconic fashion pieces from the ’50s to ’80s surrounded by literal icons and clever callbacks to the art and pop culture of these times. As you walk in past the Japanese waving cat and the antique wooden cabinet with happy budda lit by a pink neon sign, you enter a comfy sofa area with staff picks proudly displayed below yet another neon sign, this time referencing the movie From Dusk Til Dawn.

    It feels a lot like the hotel scene from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. After a few minutes, as you wake up from the initial sensory overwhelm, the layers of details invite you to explore even more. Electric guitars, Anthony Bourdain chilling with Iggy Pop, an authentic ticket from Woodstock in 1969, or a mysterious door whose purpose we can only guess from the posters for SHAFT, As Good As It Gets, and The Birdcage.

    Visiting Creme de la Cream should be on your wish list if you are looking for iconic vintage.

    St. Annenstraat | Amsterdam

    @cream_ams

  • Kick off

    The beginning. Drinks and Music. Come say hi.

    Pics by Izzy
    Music by Troubles

    @ MOKKA TWIST | 11th October | 7 PM