Ronald van der Kemp

Ronald van der Kemp (born 24 September 1964 in Wijchen, Netherlands[1]) is a Dutch fashion designer and founder of demi-couture fashion house RVDK Ronald van der Kemp,[2] his namesake label.

Early career

Van der Kemp graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy of Art and Design in Amsterdam in 1989 with a BA in fashion design.[3] His early career took him to major fashion cities Paris, Milan and New York, working as creative director, consultant and chief designer for brands including Bill Blass,[4] Barneys New York and Guy Laroche, where he succeeded Elbar Albaz.[5] He also worked at Celine.[6] It was in these years as a consultant that van der Kemp honed his technical expertise.[7]

Own label

In August 2014 van der Kemp launched his demi-couture label, RVDK Ronald van der Kemp, presenting his first ‘wardrobe’ during the Paris haute couture calendar in 2015.[8] Shunning the fashion system’s way of doing things, van der Kemp’s proposed ‘wardrobe’ consisted of a selection of limited-edition items that were seasonless and timeless, ethically made with existing fabrics,[9] and crafted by hand in small ateliers in Amsterdam.[10]

In a 2021 interview, van der Kemp affirmed that "95 % of the material used for his designs already exists" and described his brand as more of "a movement" than a traditional couture house.[11]

Net-a-Porter, the luxury ecommerce group, was the first retailer to buy van der Kemp’s demi-couture collection,[12] which has since been worn by celebrities including Selena Gomez