AMFI - Amsterdam Fashion Institute (English programme)

Keitija Ābele grew up in Latvia. She always thought she wanted to do something with art or styling, but without a portfolio, it was hard to get accepted into an art school. During her search, she discovered AMFI. ‘When I read the description of Fashion & Branding, I knew: this is exactly what I’m looking for. A mix of both the psychology around fashion and the creative part. Everything fell into place.’

A creative learning journey full of boldness and experimentation
Keitija: ‘During the first year, I was still finding my way. I didn’t yet know exactly what the concepts of brand development and brand identity meant. Until I got the chance to develop a sub-brand for G-Star as a group assignment. That’s when I realised that branding is all about the experience and how you present it.’ To develop the concept - called Raw Refined - Keitija went to a construction site at seven in the morning to collect bricks. ‘We used these to build an installation for our presentation and that image struck a chord. The lecturer was really enthusiastic and recommended that we include it in our portfolio.’

Working together on something bigger

Keitija likes to take a slightly different approach to things. For example, for another project, she abandoned the existing format of a book presentation and took a completely different tack. ‘Our online concept became much stronger when we decided to do something with old, broken iPhones. We took a risk, and it paid off. The lecturers complimented us for our boldness and originality.’ Keitija learned a lot during the group assignments at AMFI. ‘When you’re in a team where everyone shares the same vision, magical things happen. It doesn't feel like studying, it feels like creating something really cool together.’

The impact of branding 
During her internship at textile company workingmenblues, Keitija discovered how branding can make a big difference even for smaller brands. The company gave her complete freedom to turn her creative ideas into content. Ketija: ‘I was responsible for marketing strategy and content creation for social media. One simple post suddenly led to collaborations and requests. There were even people who wanted to hire dresses we had made for a shoot. Things can happen that fast if your brand presentation is right.’