25 Years of Vingino | An Interview with Guus de Poorter
Last month marked 25 years of Vingino. To celebrate, we sat down with Guus de Poorter, Director of Design, who has been with Vingino almost since the very beginning, joining in September 2004 after a 6-month internship. Read on to learn more about the brand’s origins, its growth and what’s next.
1. Take us back to the beginning—how did Vingino start, and what was the original vision behind the brand?
Vingino started with a single pair of jeans. Founder Bennie Dekker went to the factory and had a pair of jeans made with a special wash for his son, Vince Gino. The pants started attracting more and more demand, and at the time there was hardly any competition–around 2003, the major retail chains in EMEA simply didn’t have children’s departments. So we grew fast, more than 100% year over year, producing around a million pieces of denim annually. The vision was simple: beautiful, cool jeans at a commercial price.
2. What inspired the name and identity of Vingino?
The name comes from the founder’s son, Vince Gino, the two names merged into “Vingino.” It has a nice Italian ring to it, which is also where most of our inspiration comes from.
3. What were the key milestones or turning points over the past 25 years?
There have been so many. One of the most important was when we started making tops. In the early years it was denim only, but it was such a success that customers started asking for tops too, so we developed that category with zero experience. Our first collection wasn’t what it needed to be, but we learned fast, and the very next one was fantastic, selling straight out of the boxes.
Another major milestone was our expansion beyond the Netherlands into Germany, France, Scandinavia, Italy and Spain; growth that turned Vingino from a Dutch success story into a truly pan-European brand.
4. How has the brand evolved since launch, in terms of design, target audience and values?
We’ve made huge strides, especially early on. When we started, we didn’t even have design software. We’d sketch ideas on A4 paper and bring them straight to the factory, walking in with samples under our arm and laying the designs out on the spot.
Today we work extensively with AI to be faster and more cost-efficient, and since being acquired by Centric, that process has really accelerated. As for our target audience, we’ve always kept the same image in mind: a kid around 8 years old. That hasn’t changed.
5. What has changed most in the industry since you started, and how has Vingino adapted?
The EMEA market has shifted enormously. Ten or fifteen years ago there were still many small independent stores; I’d say around 90% of those have disappeared, replaced by big online retailers like Wehkamp, Zalando and About You. That shift affects your entire chain, including how you design. In a physical store, a customer can see the whole product properly; online, a product has to grab attention from the very first glance, or shoppers just scroll past. Social media has had a big impact too. Audiences are becoming less brand-loyal, so you have to work harder to stay top of mind.
6. What role have employees played in shaping the brand over the years?
The growth we’ve experienced could never have happened alone; it has genuinely been a team effort. I firmly believe you get much further together than on your own. A few who’ve been with us for 10 years or more include:
Carline de Boer (Designer)
Michelle de Boer (Account Executive)
Esther de Graaf (Designer)
Bas Horlings (Senior Designer)
Tessa Schulkes (Senior Designer)
Richard Terpstra (Customer Service Associate)
Nigel Zurburg (Sales Director)
There have been many others who contributed along the way, and just as many who continue to make an impact today.
7. Are there any special traditions, stories or inside jokes that define Vingino’s culture?
One tradition is eating a kroket together every Thursday—a Dutch snack made of beef, coated in a crispy layer. If you ever visit the Netherlands, you can’t miss it. Back in the day, it was also standard to have fish every Friday at the CEO’s house.
8. How are you celebrating this milestone internally and externally?
We developed a special collection for the occasion: we opened the archive, took the bestsellers from back in the day and gave them a modern update. The result is our 25 Years Collection, a unisex, online-only release with a limited run. Internally, we’ll be raising a glass together to mark the moment, and then it’s back to business as usual.
9. What does 25 years of Vingino mean to you personally, and for the brand?
It’s an incredible milestone—no small feat that the brand established itself so firmly. I feel privileged to have been part of it from essentially day one, watching it grow. I joined as an intern and simply never left, because I shared the same passion as founder Bennie.
10. What’s next for Vingino? Can you give us a sneak peek into the future?
We’ve just finished the AW27 collection, launching in January. I think we’ve put together something really special with the team again, so keep an eye out for the line launch.
