Director resigns after criticism of unsafe environment at A'dam fashion school

Dirk Reynders resigned as director of the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) following criticism of his performance and accusations from students that he created a "toxic" culture and environment at the school. In a letter to employees of the fashion institute, he said that he does not consider himself the right person to make AMFI a safe place to learn, RTL Nieuws reports.

"I notice that my personal motivations and qualities mainly lie in the substantive aspects of education, research, and fashion," Reynders wrote. "That's why I came to the beautiful fashion institute AMFI. But something else is needed now."

In May, AMFI students demanded Reynders' resignation, supported by Amsterdam student union ASVA. Students told RTL Nieuws that the environment at the fashion school was toxic. They said that teachers and lecturers broke them down physically and mentally and regularly publicly shamed them during presentations and evaluations. Their complaints about the situation were ignored.

A study by research agency Bezemer & Schubad concluded that AMFI is not a safe environment for students and employees.