Irritable Softness

This collection was all about exploring what softness is in fashion (in terms of materials and colors) but also how the term softness can be perceived in life. It all started with exploring a feeling. A feeling of sometimes feeling so soft and open that its almost irritable. That it itches, that you’d like to scratch it like you would a rash. We often link softness to something nice or pretty. We link it too a vulnerability. But I wanted to express that softness can also be ugly, rude and irritable. Something you don’t want to be or feel. This thought and duality I wanted to question with this collection. The perception of softness that is linked to sweetness and is seen as something nice I wanted to challenge. Because I think softness can also be very irritable.

So for this collection I worked with a lot of soft spoken colors. But I wanted to apply them in a very “un-soft” manner. So I roughly hand painted some fabrics instead of screen printing with a print. And I also made fabrics by printing them with an open screen that I fully printed on a pleated fabric. The whole feeling has something raw.

This day was so special and so much fun! I want to thank all models: @lottemilder @ninawillems @lalievdberg @annabel_hrmns @_selmavogt @sam_nelissen @naomihattler @martinekramer @naomi_dacodah_omg_com @ambernynkeanna @ecapsymssimi @isobeldyson

This collection and presentation really holds a dear place in my heart. It was the last show I did before the pandemic broke out. The last collection I screen printed at the Jan van Eyck Academy. These pieces now have more meaning to me than at the time. It’s as if they hold this time capsule of before. It almost seems like another world thinking back to us all being in that basement of the Student Hotel together, shoulder to shoulder.