Michael Barnaart’s work connects ‘high’ and popular culture. With comfortable jersey dresses, the fashion designer places his work at the cutting edge of industrial design, graphic design and art. Not surprisingly, these Europe-made creations are worn on the streets as well as exhibited in various museums.

The Dutch designer whose full name is Michael Barnaart van Bergen presented his first couture collection at Amsterdam Fashion Week in 2008. In 2009, he launched his first ready-to-wear collection and has been concentrating on tricot ever since. Several collection pieces have since been exhibited in various international museums, including Kunstmuseum Den Haag (art museum The Hague, the Netherlands), Centraal Museum Utrecht (the Netherlands), Kunsthal Rotterdam, (the Netherlands), Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg (Germany), Modemuseum Hasselt (Fashion Museum Hasselt, Belgium) and Barbican in London (England). The designer’s work is characterised by its accessibility, clear design and unique graphic designs. The collections are produced in limited editions using artisanal methods in Europe.

Since 2024, he has been working from France.