9
But I’m not the storyteller, saying “This season is about this or this”. It’s somewhat the same story for all my collections. Which aspects of your work satisfy or annoy you the most? Drawing is something I really, really enjoy. It’s playing around. But the thing that satisfies me the most is the moment at the end off a season when it all comes together. Last season there was a particular day in the showroom which is a nice example. It was the last day after a week in Paris and people got together. There were a lot of clients and other people, whom I met through doing what I do now, who stopped by. They just came to get a coffee or to say hi as they knew it was the last day and they all started mingling. Everybody found somebody to have a chat or good conversation with and I saw them exchanging phone numbers. For me, that moment, bringing people together through my work, is what you’re working for. Other people can take something out of it and do their own thing with it. Even if it’s just a word. Those are moments in which you think: “Okay, this is really worth it”. You were already telling us about the fact that you are aiming to be the same person in work as well as in your private life. Could you tell us more about the relationship between your personal and professional life? As I stated in the previous question, bringing people together through work is a beautiful thing. It’s all about connections. You get inspired by other people, by other things or by other people’s work. Life gets interesting when you talk to people, not if you are just on your own. If my work can bring that kind of feeling to other people, I’m happy with that and wouldn’t want it any other way. There are, for example, super interesting works and collections that are totally ego-centered, but it’s never going to be me who is making those. So it’s a bit about those things. For instance, if you’re a vegetarian, why would you make leather? It’s that kind of logic, you know. If you know how you like to wear clothes or how you like to treat garments, you would also like to make things that can be treated or worn in a corresponding way. For me it’s about that.
Can you give us an insight into your average working day? My working day normally starts at 10 but if there are already people working in the studio, we all try to have breakfast together. Half an hour later or so, we slowly start the day. Most of the time I’m in my studio but as my studio is also my house, it all fits together. The photos are also taken there which makes it one big thing. It’s just working, working and again, working. If I have time, I try to cook something in the evening and then I continue working. There are days on which I don’t even leave the apartment! That happens quite a lot actually and sometimes I only realize that after five days or so. So suddenly I think, “Hmm, maybe I should go to the bakery today because I need some bread”. Those days happen the most I guess. So when you are staying inside for five days, what are you doing during that time? Making patterns, making prototypes and so on. I make all my own patterns and prototypes in the studio and put it together as one package. I bring it to the factory myself and I brief it myself. There are a lot of days which are just about production: you’re just making sure that the small, the large and the medium sizes are all correct or if they have enough buttons. Often it’s a lot of problem solving. Finally, do you have any advice that you could give us for now and the future? One? Do your work in a way that you can enjoy it. Do it in a way that gets you inspired time and time again and gives you energy. Carry out your job in a satisfying way, even if it doesn’t have your name on it or even if it’s not totally your cup of tea. With all these limits and aspects that currently exist, do it in a way so that you can defend it a thousand percent. And that is very intense so it better be very fun as well! And it’s not always going to be fun and entertaining. There are aspects that take a lot of time and a lot of drag but they are all part of it.