Outside Studio Ra on Gouvernestraat, fashion enthusiasts from Rotterdam are chatting in the sun. Inside, young designers are selling their creations. People are wearing low-rise trousers, sporting piercings and bleached eyebrows. Their hair is cut into mullets or braided into plaits. There is hardly any colour in their outfits, apart from the cans of hard lemonade.
Johanna (22) has co-organised this pop-up event for the New Fashion Society and is pleased with the turnout. She too is dressed entirely in black: a loose t-shirt with lingerie peeking out, vinyl micro shorts, and faux leather boots with broken stiletto heels and a furry trim. She describes herself as ‘girly, cunty and sexy’. Her necklaces are feminine while her boots are more ‘cunty’. The shorts complete the look. She doesn’t mind that they are so short – she has even worn them to campus.
“I want to stand out, but I am also very shy”, Johanna explains. With her clothing, she aims to keep people at a distance. It allows her to communicate without having to talk to anyone. If people find her outfit odd, she doesn’t care. “I’m more insecure about my personality. I find it more important that people like me.”
She has always had a love for fashion. In secondary school in Stuttgart, she wore outfits that shocked her parents and she worked as a stylist on the side. Now, she is combining her double degree in psychology and philosophy with the New Fashion Society. “I would love to continue working in fashion, if possible. But it’s so difficult to find a good job.”
Her glasses are the first step Johanna has taken in that direction. She wears a heavy black frame that contrasts with her upturned nose and soft makeup. “I often see such glasses on older creatives, like vintage sellers and photographers.” They make her outfit casual yet a bit more serious. “It’s a statement, but I also need them to see.”
What is the nicest compliment you have ever received?
“A friend at the New Fashion Society said that I give the people around me confidence. Because I’m outspoken with my clothing and do not care what others think. That inspires him to wear whatever he wants as well. When he said that, I felt so good about myself!”
