VIEW ON FASHION //

I believe that fashion is ‘the’ way to express yourself. To let the world see who you want to be, what you stand for and what you want to achieve or change. For me that’s being a colourful and happy person, who stands for acceptance and mutual respect. I’m trying to change the way people think. People still think too much in labels and limiting boxes like gender, religion and skin-color. They way I dress myself makes people second guess those labels and boxes. I also believe that fashion is very personal and is based on feelings, personal believes and emotions. That’s why I’m not really a trend follower. In a way following a trend is letting someone else dictate what you wear.

SIGNATURE STYLE //

My signature style is genderbending, vintage, chic and extravagant. My inspiration comes from everything around me. I’m in love with the seventies but every decade has it’s charm and I’m not afraid to experiment. I also don’t limit myself in fashion. I truly think that if a person likes something, it should be free to wear it. I think that style is something that constantly organically grows with a persons view on fashion and life for that matter.

instagram // @elioheres
make-up & hair // @thebeautybankHQ

VIEW ON FASHION //

Fashion to me is not just clothes, it’s character. It showcases someone’s identity but it’s also a reflection of what’s going on in society as a whole. Fashion can also be very distinct in different nations, neighbourhoods or social groups. I grew up in Poland and on the streets you could see a very particular post-sovjet fashion style.

A part of me doesn’t like that this Eastern European style is now super trendy, sometimes I feel like it’s lost its authenticity. Clothes and accessories which are super ‘in’ now were cool in my country a few years ago — on the one hand it’s nice because it reminds me of my friends and culture but on the other hand those outfits were also a symbol of the situation in Poland a few years ago. It feels a bit strange to see that style on the streets of Western Europe.

SIGNATURE STYLE //

My sense of style is partially inherited from my parents but equally influenced by my friends back in Poland. That’s why I often mix classic items like suits with contemporary ones like dr. Martens. I also like to create a more a-typical silhouette by wearing oversized clothes or buttoning shirts asymmetrically. Some things I always seem to go back to are denim (especially total-look), leather, heavy boots, oversized suits & sunglasses.

You can wear pretty basic clothes but with a nice bag or shoes and some sunglasses, you’re gonna rock it!

instagram // @markofrompoland

VIEW ON FASHION //

There are so many aspects of fashion that have an impact on my life. Both personally and professionally, since I work as a fashion stylist.  Personally speaking I feel fashion has great transformative and empowering merits. Basically, fashion can make my day. Even on days that you wake up not feeling to great, your outfit can be your armour – getting you through the day. For me it really works that way. Wearing a strong suit is like wearing an attitude, and with a baggy look you can get your swag on. My outfits are either an extension of my mood or a cover-up thereof.

Mood swings aside; fashion is also very facilitative in showing where you stand. I personally feel no ambition to assimilate and fashion helps a great deal in establishing that. A stand-out’ish style sets you apart from the majority, and that is exactly where I place myself – apart from the majority. Simultaneously it can make you part of a subculture, creating a feeling of solidarity amongst you and other outcasts alike. These individualist and collective virtues are super interesting, I think.

SIGNATURE STYLE //

Workwise I feel so blessed to be able to be working as a creative in fashion. I hope to create fashion stories that are inspiring and relevant, that say something about the time we life in, about what’s going on in the rest of the world. Fashion as a reflective showcase of the social discourse is what does it for me.  Where are we coming from, where are we now, and where are we going? Fashion holds it all.     

I do not have a particular signature style – not at least when you think of it in terms of styles such as sporty or bohemian. Most of my looks are quite ‘out there’ and stand-out’ish, but differs from day to day reflecting my mood at a particular moment. So whenever I got my nineties mood on I’ll be wearing that leather Versace jacket and cap, or a turtleneck and Dior trousers whenever I’m feeling artsy and intellectual.

What is consistent about my wardrobe is that 99 per cent of it is black. Because of this monochrome wardrobe my outfits are about proportions, textures and silhouettes, rather then colour combo’s and prints.  I’m the silhouette boy, someone told me recently. An over-sized shirt with skinny high-water trousers, or high-wasted pleated pants with a crop top, shit like that. But always black. What I love about that –corny as it might sound- is what it says and I think Yohji Yamamoto expressed it most accurately: ‘Black is modest and arrogant at the same time. Black is lazy and easy but mysterious. But above all black says this: ‘I don’t bother you – don’t bother me.’ True words.

instagram // @herrhitpass

VIEW ON FASHION //

Fashion is art. Fashion is inventive. Fashion is conceptual. A form of self expression and tool to embellish yourself in a way that unleashes your inner fairytale, creating your personal wonderland.

SIGNATURE STYLE //

To me, that wonderland is dreamy and dark. Full of dark, goth grungy yet magical influences that create an enchanting, alternative fashion look that embodies a certain lifestyle. I love to play with contradictions. But also with darkness and light in a way how it’s not seen before. I aspire to do so by clashing them together to create an inventive, unconventional and somewhat contradictory image.

For instance, with this photoshoot and look, I wanted to go all in. I thought, why not do a mad-dark-alice photoshoot at the graveyard, Cemetery & Chill style? Inspired by the ‘’not cute just really fucking psycho’’ kind of girl (like I, of course am too). I chose this location for the shoot aspiring to create the ultimate clash between darkness and light. By wearing an over-the-top-discoball-ish glitter dress (representing utmost light) and posing playfully I believe it clashes ultimately with a dark place such as a graveyard.

In short, my signature style is wearing something dark. My canvas on a casual basis is a high waisted black skinny jeans with a black top where my galaxy nails are the only highlights of the complete outfit. Black nails, embellished by silver glitters or a hauntingly dark lipstick. I daily embody all black everything, but there always is a little glimpse of light because darling, the way I see it, the dark is what truly sparkles.

instagram // @snowwhitelostinwonderland

VIEW ON FASHION //

This weekend I was at Awakenings Festival and a boy came up to me asked me if I was wearing a mens croptop. At first I thought he was trying to be funny but he was genuinely interested to hear the answer. It’s pretty weird that you won’t find a garment like croptops in any menswear department… why are croptops supposedly only for women?

Furthermore: who gets to decide this? Whenever I go shopping I visit both the womenswear and the menswear department. I enjoy combining garments from both divisions and mixing it up into one original outfit. This can be either a feminine look, which I’d rather wear to parties, festivals or other festive occasions, or a unisex / more boy-ish everyday look like the unicorn shirt + skinny jeans I’m wearing here.

My view on fashion: wear whatever you like most and stand up for who you truly are, without shame.

SIGNATURE STYLE //

When I was really young I used to wear my moms lipstick, play with barbies and prance around the house in my mother’s heels. Looking back I realise how special it is to have a mother who never told me off about this, or pushed me to be more ‘boy-ish’. Then puberty hit and I stopped, instead always pretending to be way tougher than I actually was. I tried to hide the fact that I really enjoyed doing girl things, and also that I often found way more stuff to my liking at the womenswear than at the menswear department.

Now that I’m older, and a lot more self-assured & comfortable with myself as a person, I’m ready to embrace this side of me again. Not only for myself, but also to show that it’s perfectly fine for boys to wear garments from the womenswear line if they want to. This was not a overnight switch, rather a gradual transition. A little nail-polish at a festival, buying my first legging at Fusion, cutting old t-shirt up to a croptop. I don’t think wearing women’s garments makes me less of a boy. It’s something I used to hear people say a lot, and it made me quite insecure. Now it’s something that fuels my drive, gives me great power. Today I’m proud to be different from the rest, to stand out against the norm. Because let’s face it: ‘normal’ can be pretty boring!

instagram // @kennaa89

VIEW ON FASHION //

To me, fashion is like a form of art. Someone might make a painting or take a picture, and then people look at it at a certain point in time and that is the moment where art and its audience come together. But personal style is always there. People are always confronted with someone’s personal style and that, to me, is its beauty. It is like a living form of art. It is a way of setting yourself apart from the crowd and expressing yourself. Whenever I see someone on the street with a clearly defined personal style, it makes my day. I really dig it if people can be totally devoted to a certain style. I often use it as a confidence boost as well. Whenever I feel down, I just make sure my outfit looks on point. It’s just a simple trick, but it can really cheer me up. 

SIGNATURE STYLE //

My personal style is massively influenced by my taste in music and my current mood. One of the reasons I really admire people sticking to one style, is because I feel like my own style is all over the place. I can go full pastel colours, or all black. Sometimes I like to combine two or three statement pieces, sometimes I like to wear none. I recently realised that a lot or my style is quite gender neutral. I often don’t feel comfortable in very feminine or revealing clothing. My main pieces are band tees, high waisted mom jeans, slacks and chokers. My wardrobe regularly changes according to my current hair colour, since I like to wear contrasting colours. Lately I have been really into red, so that is pretty much all I wear at the moment. As I said, all over the place. 

instagram // @sannevb_

VIEW ON FASHION //

Since I’m young I’ve been obsessed with fashion. At the age of 6 I was already running around in the neighborhood vintage shop, fascinated by dressing up and the different kinds of fabrics. I graduated as a stylist, designed prints for fabrics for a little while and have worked for years in vintage shops. The way you’re dressed says so much about you as a human being. It’s a way to express yourself, include or exclude yourself, celebrate or hide parts of yourself. Fashion can make you stand out in a crowd or make you disappear. An outfit can be true to you or a way to create another character for yourself. It says something about your mood, your options, your creativity and your boldness. If you take all these thing in consideration it’s undeniable a form of art. I can enjoy people’s effort for a look, even if it’s not close to my personal taste. It’s the love, effort and energy that’s been put in there what counts for me.

SIGNATURE STYLE //

Every so many months my style changes. I can almost calculate the next date it will happen. For me it feels like I’m evolving as a person but It can be pretty annoying if it comes to space in my closet. I basically live in my closet. (Almost) every item I own is vintage, because I like my pieces better if they come with a backstory or a satisfying treasure hunt. I love Marbles Vintage (my former job), RetroIn Style & Outstyle (my current job), the shops in Berlin / Paris / Barcelona / Tokyo, the occasional fleamarket and the second handshops in my home town Tilburg. When I don’t shop vintage it’s most of on Asos or small independent fashion brands.

I have stacks of hats, bags, big earrings, belts, kimono’s, crazy necklaces, sunglasses and a lot of black boots. If I had to have to choose a favorite style period I would say 70’s, 90’s and 00’s. At this moment I’m into bright colors like pink, red, yellow and orange. My favorite items are my kimono’s, golden Versace-like belts, a simple black dress and a pair of sneakers. I like the term ‘paradise bird’, feminine and crazy colored to describe my personal style. However when I don’t want to think about my outfit it’s very likely I will just throw on a black jeans with a band shirt. You can’t go wrong with that.

instagram // @fabulouslifeofnine

VIEW ON FASHION //

As a little girl, I was already fascinated by fashion. I didn’t want to follow the crowd. Not just because I wanted to be different, but because I had the urge to be myself. Clothing was (and still is) a way to express myself. Fashion is full of creativity, imagination and some weird feelings. Once I read this quote from Sarah Mower on the Vogue site and it accurately described my thoughts: ‘’The essence of fashion – something that makes you feel a bit queasy and puzzled for a few seconds, but then, just as quickly shoots into the bloodstream as desire.’’ It’s just so much more than a piece of fabric. For me, it’s a feeling of freedom. Everyone with this kind of freedom of expressing himself should be grateful. Maybe it’s a beautiful materialistic way of self-love.

SIGNATURE STYLE //

My style is very dependent on my mood. Throughout the years I have tried so many different things. From super preppy to skater girl, from neon yellow pants to camouflage skirts. After all, most outfits were certainly not a big success, but I feel happy I’ve tried it all. Now I could describe my signature style best as edgy with a girly touch. I have this weakness for the color black (yes, I think this really is a color), but also get excited about clothing with a crazy striking print. Boys tees, denim jackets and jeans are my all-time favorite basics.

instagram // @joannemmm

VIEW ON FASHION //

My fascination with garments started when I was about 7 years old and always drew my very own “designs”. I even took sewing lessons to pursue my fashion designer dreams. I was the weird kid with the ballerina shoes with skulls on them and I loved it. In high school we had to visit universities to explore our future but schools like AMFI were just not for me. Instead I went to uni and studied the theory of fashion and its’s connection to identity in Stockholm. I am intrigued by the Scandinavian fashionworld and how progressive they are with gender issues and feminism. I still plan on working in fashion in the future, but heck knows where I’ll end up!

I would call myself a feminist and I get tired of people that feel intimidated by that term. It’s not a matter of becoming ‘better’ than men – it’s a matter of having the same human and normative rights. I feel like fashion can really improve things for everyone, not just women. I want to wear what I want, without being restricted to gendernorms. Why do we have to wear uncomfortable pencil skirts and heels to be seen as a professional? It’s about time that those outdated and unwritten rules are going to be erased. What you wear should define you as a person, not a sexe

SIGNATURE STYLE //

I don’t really know how to describe my fashion sense. I think it is a bit all over the place. You can see me wearing mom jeans and a wonderfully ugly vintage shirt, but on other days I love wearing floral dresses and big chunky boots or platforms. It might be a mixture of 90s inspiration mixed with new fabrics, prints and colours.

instagram // @suzecato