Frank van de Brug, co-founder, and head designer of Colourful Rebel, wants to put a bit more color into our lives. That’s an unpopular claim, as major fashion retailers opt more and more for drab palettes of beiges and blacks. Still, Brug is nothing if not rebellious. A self-proclaimed trendsetter, Brug doesn’t want to follow the mass movement. No, he’s forging his own path, creating some (intentionally) eye-catching looks along the way. 

Co-founded by Frank and his brother Bas, Colourful Rebel wasn’t a major fashion retailer at first. Founded back in 2013, it was merely a blog, covering things like Brug’s beloved vintage Porsches. Still, even in those early phases, the platform always conveyed the Colourful Rebel vision: be bold, and be defiant. Much of this comes from their city of origin: “Coming from a very liberal city like Amsterdam, we really like the strong contradiction between the positive vibe around being colorful and that side of the name, and then on the other hand, there’s a rebellious part, living your life the way you want it,” Brug proclaims. 

Sizing up from small-scale blog to leading Dutch design house, Brug wanted to keep that utter originality intact. “We really don’t stick to trends or whatever,” Brug notes. “We just design whatever we like. We don’t look too much at other brands, for example, because we think we’re kind of unique in our own way.”

By not peering over at his competitors, Brug maintains the singularity of his vision. It’s all a natural flow of creativity. 

Just because Brug’s machinations are instinctive, that doesn’t mean they come easy. Brug is exacting, frequently irritating his design team with just how many samples he’ll demand. “We don’t just make a dress and that’s it,” Brug reflects. “I’m so picky on details because I have it in my head in a certain way and I want it exactly like that.”

Currently premiering their Spring/Summer 2023 Collection, Brug continues to make wide design strides for the brand. A co-ed collection, this season brings one of Colourful Rebel’s first significant forays into menswear. Included in these offerings, is a camouflage jacket, which Brug believes to be an embodiment of the collection’s boldness. Recognizing the garment to be out-of-season, Brug nonetheless decided to stick with it: “that just the mentality, we’re taking some chances.” The rest of their SS23 collection maintains this daring quality, combining vintage sportswear influences with dramatically colorful flairs to create some striking pieces. 

In premiering their SS23 collection, the co-founders faced another challenge: transitioning from strictly online to an in-person retail experience. Opening a pop-up store in Amsterdam this March, they are finally realizing this dream. “We’ve always had the vision, the desire, to go brick and mortar. You can just experience the brand so much better than online,” Brug notes. “I can build a website, you know, one way or another, but it’s still online. It only has a flat image of the brand instead of going into a store.” In moving from this “flat image” to a multi-dimensional retail location, Colourful Rebel is expanding their brand capital, and moving their image in a new direction. The pop-up will open on March 27th and run through April 9th, all taking place at Gerard Doustraat 76, Amsterdam. 

Still, whether a blog or a designer brand, and whether online or in-the-flesh, Colourful Rebel will always stick to their mission of boldness. That is what the Brug brothers, who pride themselves on being 100% owners, are sure to emphasize. “We’re really clear on the vision that Colourful Rebel needs to be timeless and colorful pieces with a modern cut for everyday use. That’s what we tell everyone in our company as well,” Brug comments. “This is what we’ve been standing for since day one, and we always agreed.”