I started with visualizing my mental state, which I call LIEN, a nickname for my thousand personalities. This resulted in a video which consisted a lot of different characters. By using these characters I started to create them in real-life. This is how my collection was made, every look is treated as an individual. I did not want to have a hierarchy in my collection cause in this LIEN state everyone and everything is equal to each other, no matter what. By using stereotypical elements of personae’s, raw materials and individual characteristics as base I started to create outfits for the desires of the characters and mixed with my youth references. At the end they’re still a family, the LIEN, and that’s what they have in common, instead of a traditional way to build up a collection.
A visualization of the strength of individuality, within a group without any compromises to each other. Playful and loudly showing embracement of bravery. My collection is not a fashion statement, it’s a protest against the values that became our societies standards.
It can be seen as superficial, because of the use of stereotypical elements. I really want to enjoy and have fun in the things I create. They arise in a process of fun, playing and questioning when something is or becomes fashion in societies value.
Besides my own process of fun, this collection stands for the empowerment of the individual. Embracing our individual strength gives us the opportunity to stand out from the mass and to rise above ourselves when we’re stuck in this mass. With excepting everyone for who they are and being able to say that we’re all equal and pursue this vision.
Within these times it is important to think about where is the materials origin. Instead of making them by myself I tried to see how much harder it would be to use all kind of already existed materials, re-using them. With a specific way of pattern cutting, it is possible to use left overs (like fabrics) or non-useful garments and use them instead of fabrics. Techniques as patching, natural dyeing, embroidering, damaging a damaged fabric it is possible to exaggerate to fabrics’ characteristics.
Models: dennis scheurder, patricia Mokosi, Rachel klok, jordy jansen
make up: tom haegens @thecountess
images shot by team peterstigter
