Retail
Frozen Fountain, Canal Ring
Open since 1992 – when the Dutch design movement that would produce a generation of internationally acclaimed creatives had already coalesced – Frozen Fountain is a landmark design-and-homeware shop set in a sprawling Prinsengracht canal house. Stop by for small ceramics, lighting, furniture and design objects by Dutch and international names, from established practitioners such as Maarten Baas to recent graduates.
Applied Art Forms, Canal Ring
You’ll find vintage and utilitarian menswear and tailoring at Applied Art Forms’s flagship shop. The dual-level space preserves the building’s original wooden frame and concrete structure, and is finished off with both restored and replica glass elements. Showcased alongside the clothes is a listening bar, a modular record wall designed by owner and musician Guy Berryman, art books and mid-century furniture.
Olaf, Oud-West
Punching well above its local profile, Olaf is known for its clean tailoring and casual pieces that reference workwear and Scandinavian minimalism. The coats and overshirts will be go-tos for years to come, and the Tote-branded bags are ubiquitous in young creative circles, making an appearance at nearly every low-key gallery opening.
Denim City, Oud-West
Many consider this to be the country’s most serious purveyor of denim. The 1,600 sq m warehouse-like space inside the De Hallen cultural complex – a former tram depot – stocks vintage Levi’s and selvedge from Japan including Oni and Samurai. There’s also a repair and customisation service, as well as a working denim school where employees of the brand and enthusiasts alike can learn pattern-cutting and finishing techniques.
Archive 1906, Centrum
Named after the year in which the shop building was constructed, Archive 1906 specialises in vintage designer fashion – Prada, Armani, Vivienne Westwood and archival Maison Margiela are staples – and operates a buy-sell-trade model. The pieces in the tightly edited selection are individually sourced, mostly hailing from the 1990s and 2000s.
Misc Store, Jordaan
This tightly edited concept shop deals in stationery, desk accessories, books, ceramics and design pieces with a strong Japanese and Scandinavian sensibility. Though it’s not a large space, you can easily spend 30 minutes browsing the considered range of gifts, which includes brass pencil sharpeners, Kinto mugs and pour-over coffee sets, and Midori notebooks with cotton covers.
SPRMRKT, Centrum
Following nearly a decade of closure, this Amsterdam fashion institution relaunched in July 2025 – and its return in a gallery-like space complete with raw concrete floors, exposed steel joists and track lighting was well worth the wait. The current selection is one of the finest in northern Europe, featuring designs from the likes of MM6, Thom/krom, Matières Fécales, Rick Owens, Situationist and Ssstein.
Athenaeum Boekhandel & Nieuwscentrum, Centrum
Amsterdam’s most distinguished bookseller and the Netherlands’ finest magazine newsstand have been sharing a space on the Spui since 1969. At the former, you’ll find three floors of Dutch, English and French literature, as well as an in-depth selection on classical antiquity. Nieuwscentrum, meanwhile, has a continent-spanning selection of magazines from indie titles to design journals.
Carmen, Canal Ring
Two adjacent 17th-century canal houses on the Keizersgracht contain a guesthouse, a kitchen serving breakfast and lunch, as well as a concept shop, all run by former fashion PR Carmen Atiyah de Baets and her husband, chef Joris ter Meulen Swijtink. Atiyah’s newsletters – which cover new arrivals and happenings at the shop – help guide the city’s fashion-savvy set.
Velour Amsterdam, Nine Streets
Isa Boulder, Commission, Namacheko, Róhe, Ssstein and Situationist all feature alongside a rotating cast of emerging names at this Nine Streets boutique. It’s an intimate space: every piece is carefully selected to sit at the intersection of fashion and art, which is understandable given that the postcard-perfect neighbourhood hosts a mix of concept shops and vintage outlets.
