Tell us a bit about your inspiration.

When I was growing up, my mother worked as a banker, which meant she had a certain dress code to adhere to. I remember being in awe that even within dressing formally she always found a way of looking very feminine. Adding to that, I’ve been unimpressed with what women have been wearing these past two decades. It feels as if they are almost afraid to show their femininity, which I understand, because there is a certain set of problems that comes with doing that. These elements made me want to create a hyper-feminine collection. I’m working with a lot of latex, which obviously reads very sexy, but aside from that I am adding a lot of tailored elements to my looks as a nod to corporate life. I think I’m one of the only students doing eveningwear and I went all out and designed gowns, swimwear, jewelry, handbags… I really wanted to challenge myself.

In what way?

In my second and third year I had been designing menswear and I wanted to experience and learn new things during my Master’s. The previous years, I learned an enormous amount, mainly creativity-wise. I feel I’ve proven myself and put out collections of a high quality level, technically, but design has also always been very important to me. I also figured I wanted to start collaborating, which gave me the opportunity to do things outside of my comfort zone, because I could get technical support. Mind you, added to the twelve womenswear looks, I will still be sending four menswear-looks, presented on men, down the runway.

THANKS TO:

Parmentier, Suit Supply, Hans Boodt, Divani

EXPO 2018