The collection is about opening my eyes and seeing what is going on around me. That which drives me forward and makes me want to create. I find observing people and the clothes they wear fascinating. Because I want to understand them more and discover who they are. Drawing and painting have always been a passion of mine. To catch an atmosphere and to transform it into lines, forms, colours and garments is what I love about fashion. The diversity of techniques, craftsmanship and pattern, the sense of joyfulness. But also the elegance that garments can emanate, form my world. Inspiration for me, can also come from an image that I cannot get out of my head. For this collection it was a painting of the expressionist painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, a German artist from the artist group "Die Brücke" of a forest, that struck me. The research I undertook into this painter was vast. Studying books, films and literature about him. I loved looking at his work from all perspectives to understand his oeuvre more deeply. Visual Arts, especially painting and sculpture have often been sources of inspiration for me. Kirchner's paintings impressed me and partly inspired the colour palette and shape language I used for this collection. Because basic geometric shapes and elements also play an important part. The circles and triangles are in strong contrast to the organic paint brushes. There are two visual languages that I explored– the free painting and the abstract shapes. I have merged these different atmospheres and colours, to create a graphic tension. Tradition was another recurring theme in my work at the Royal Academy, as well as craftsmanship. Classic menswear, suits but also the kimono are pattern inspirations I loved working with. Block printing, hand-painting, tufting, knitting and embroidery are all techniques I have used for this collection. The diversity in tailoring, material, and print is my way of paying tribute to one of my favourite artists.
This collection is dedicated to all artists who dare to think differently, who have wild philosophies and who have the bravery to express them.