My collection comes from where I grew up, the beach of Wijk aan Zee. My parents had a beach restaurant called ALOHA there. That place shaped me and the whole collection: the surfers, the salt, the bunkers, the stories, the pirates, the chefs, the flags beaten by the wind, and all the trash and treasure the sea would wash up. My graduation collection tells that story, but also questions our relationship with the sea and nature. We take so much from the ocean and we give back mostly waste. I collect that waste and use it in my work: sea-bleached and trashed denim, destroyed flags, bits of plastic, old wetsuits, etc. I upcycle as a form of protest, there’s already enough out there and we don’t need more trash. Each piece is full of memory and tells it’s own story, like they’ve lived a life. It’s DIY, raw, a bit chaotic, and always personal. I created a kind of tribe; surfing, living, and surviving on the beach through collecting, DIY and instinct. Every look becomes a character made from leftovers, telling its own story.

My process starts with collecting; materials, memories, trash, treasures, stories. I work very hands-on, letting things come together through experimenting, layering, styling, and patching. I also upcycle alot because I believe we already have enough trash in the world and it’s better to use what’s there than create more. It’s about using what’s there and giving it new meaning and stories to tell. tape, mix between Raw and clean edges, imperfections, its all part of the story. Each look becomes its own character. It’s about intuition, storytelling, and building something out of what others might throw away.