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.
[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.
[6] It was in these years as a consultant that van der Kemp honed his technical expertise.
[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] Net-a-Porter, the luxury ecommerce group, was the first retailer to buy van der Kemp’s demi-couture collection,[11] which has since been worn by celebrities including Selena Gomez,[citation needed] Kate Moss,[12] Lady Gaga,[13] Katy Perry, Dakota Johnson, Adriana Lima[14] and Karlie Kloss.