About me
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Being a dropout from Highschool it is quite a journey to get to AMFI. I don’t remember that I had ambition to work in the fashion industry in my younger years. So being creative and grown up with computers I chose to try my luck at Graphic Lyceum Rotterdam becoming a graphic designer.
A four year education and starting in second year the specialization Fashion&Trends. Third year is for Internships and working at O’Neill Europe is the first step into the fashion industry. A choice I definitely do not regret.
My Internship at the heritage surfbrand O’Neill is still very valuable to me today. Working over there I decided to get deeper into the fashion industry. And it’s the reason I am at AMFI learning to be a fashion designer now.
What I love about the industry is that not a day will be ever the same because trends will always flowing in and out of society. Being able to design and making interesting choices influenced by all kind of factors, but also give it my signature, gives me the feeling to exist in this time.
I hope my portfolio gives a good representation of my capabilities and work. And if there will be questions do not hesitate to ask them!
Designer by day, Signpainter by night
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As I am a designer and not a real art person the ideas for my work mostly derive from a functional perspective, a so called form follows function mindset. Therefor archives containing vintage clothing, graphics, photographs and literature are for me the for me the places to get inspired. Combining this wit current technologies and/or trends I try to create something into a contemporary aesthetic.
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When I searched for getting inspiration for some signpainting, I found a book which linked the neotraditional style of tattooing and how it tattooing developed over the centuries. From tattoos of traditional boxing clubs to sailors who needed to earn them. Reading about the meaning and thoughts about them it became really clear that tattooing in the past was more a form of communication. Most of them were merely putten on the skin for showing achievements rather than aesthetic.
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Eventually seeing contemporary tattoo-artist make the old style their own, but use it as a way to make more personal tattoos interested me. The tattoos are now rather functional as personal memory then physically achievements people got.
But when it comes to graphics it keeps still be inspiring. Therefor I knew it wouldn’t stick to only get some inspiration as it is an aesthetic I have always been interested about. Thus I decided to design some ink myself…
As I am not really keen on putting some ink into my skin, as I don’t believe it really fits me, I decided to put it on my wall instead. ​Also I didn’t serve a duty on a ship that is sailing out for months I thought it would be kind of lame to put something on my body that doesn’t have a remembrance to something.
So I having an older frame that would fit such kind of artwork I started to think about my achievement an which I wanted to communicate. Meaning to me I still needed to create something with a functional approach, I decided to make an artwork that described my daily occupation.
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As I work on daily basis as a designer within the fashion industry and paint signs and windows mainly in the evening and weekend hours this sentence describes me best. As in traditional tattoos flag or borders are used to put sentences on, I referred to this by putting the sentence on a tool I use on a daily basis when designing.
 The Neo-Traditonal style of tattooing formed the inspiration for this drawing. |  As the quote on it speaks about day and night I also tried to execute a bit of the contrast in to the drawing. |  By symbolically make the day part of needle and thread lighter in the drawing... |
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 ...and shadowing the side of what captures the signpainting part in this drawing I wanted to create a designer aspect in it. |