Huib is setting a new standard

Giselle Maria Timmers

29 October 2025

Dress code

“It’s an object of love,” says Huib (29) about his headphones, which are barely held together with duct tape. “It started with a small tear, which I fixed with tape. Later, a button broke, so I unscrewed the headphones and repaired it”, he says. “But when I tried to close them again, they tore even more. So I needed more duct tape.”

Huib is wearing suede deck shoes, corduroy trousers and a soft pink jumper today.
Image by: Daan Stam

He feels a bit ashamed, but he keeps wearing the headphones – as a quiet protest against the constant throwing away of objects that could last much longer. “I hope to set a new standard.”

Huib is working on a collection of short stories about objects. It fits well with his studies – a master’s in Philosophy – to reflect deeply and find metaphors where others might only see a broken pair of headphones. “One of the stories is inspired by a pair of headphones that are afraid their owner wants to replace them. Because you know what sound you play in someone’s head, but not what’s going on inside that head.” Huib himself enjoys listening to punk and Scandinavian minimalist jazz.

Today he’s wearing suede deck shoes, corduroy trousers and a soft pink jumper. “It’s been a bit of a stressful week, so I felt like something comfy.”

Huib thinks the jumper was originally made for women. He bought it at the second-hand shop Episode, where they make no distinction between men’s and women’s clothing. “That gives me a wider range to choose from. I think men’s clothing is generally quite boring.”

“I also recently bought heels. It’s a shame I’m not wearing them today.”

Before studying Philosophy, Huib did a master’s and teacher training in Physics in Delft and worked at a ministry. There, he dressed more in line with the masculine norm. Not because he felt external pressure, but because he didn’t yet feel free enough to deviate from it. “Since studying Philosophy, I’ve become more interested in aesthetics, which has made me appreciate the role of beautiful clothes more.”

So he doesn’t wear heels as a statement to draw attention to gender roles, but simply because he finds them beautiful.

What’s the nicest compliment you’ve ever received?

“I was dating someone with a phenomenal sense of style. We went to a classical concert together and sat next to two ladies. I was wearing my heels, and the ladies said to my girlfriend: ‘You must have picked those heels out for him.’ At first, I thought that was a mega-sexist comment, as if I couldn’t choose my own clothes. But because she always looks so good, I actually took it as a compliment that they thought my heels were her idea.”