Behind the red-and-white striped awnings of the Prinsengracht, an old hospital has been given a new life. Fosbury & Sons is where history, design, and entrepreneurship meet, and the backdrop for our newest season of Passie als Kompas. Light moves easily through the rooms, art lines the walls, and in the sunny courtyard people gather for a break or a quiet conversation. It is less an office, more a living room for ideas — and a home for entrepreneurs and makers who thrive on connection as much as focus.
The season revealed not only vision and success, but also the weight of challenges. For Casper Reinders, the pandemic meant losing much of what he had built in hospitality — yet in that loss he found resilience, and the chance to reinvent himself as a designer. Danie Bles spoke of a similar turning point: her bankruptcy years ago. Painful at the time, but it forced her to start again with new strength. Today she leads Amsterdam Fashion Week, showing how endings can become beginnings.
Fashion itself appeared in different shades. Linda Tol recalled her years in Milan, moving through the glamour of the fashion world and meeting names like Brad Pitt. Today her reflections are less about celebrity and more about balance — the challenge of being a mother of three while still giving energy to her career. Robbie Baauw added another layer. With The Movement Models he set out to disrupt an industry still ruled by convention, building not just an agency but a community with a mission. Together, their stories showed how fashion is both personal and political, intimate and systemic.
The theme of collaboration ran through many conversations. David Mahyari explained how SolidNature was shaped not only by vision but by the right people standing beside him. Valerie Boerma told how a partnership took her and her family to Mexico — proof that collaboration is not only about business, but about following dreams wherever they lead.
“Behind every creative story lies a choice — of vision, of patience, of courage.”
Finance brought the most pragmatic kind of honesty. With Knab supporting our platform, each guest shared an insight. Casper reminded us that vision can matter more than capital. Danie spoke of staying lean and asking what is truly necessary. David was clear: “Know your numbers inside out, because without that, nothing stands.” Linda emphasized the safety of saving and keeping a buffer. For Robbie, patience itself was protection, saving for each step before moving forward. Valerie looked the other way: seeing money as a tool, not an obstacle, and daring to invest if it fuels your vision.
Taken together, these reflections showed that finance, like creativity, is a matter of choice — sometimes vision, sometimes discipline, sometimes patience, sometimes courage. Behind every creative story lies a financial one. With Knab alongside us, we could bring those realities into the same conversation as creativity itself.
Looking back, this season showed us that entrepreneurship is never a single story. It is challenge and recovery, creativity and reinvention, collaboration and clarity. At Fosbury & Sons, these threads came together — a season marked by courage, imagination, and the choices that shape them.