{"id":100623,"date":"2019-07-05T10:13:51","date_gmt":"2019-07-05T08:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=100623"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:23","slug":"queer-clothes-nicoles-simultaneous-source-of-and-outlet-for-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/07\/05\/queer-clothes-nicoles-simultaneous-source-of-and-outlet-for-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"Queer Clothes: Nicole\u2019s simultaneous source of and outlet for stress"},"content":{"rendered":"

How long does it take for you to pick out your outfit? A couple minutes? 20? Or do you just grab the top T-shirt from your closet? While some do put less thought into what they\u2019re wearing every day, very few leave home regularly thinking \u201cWow, these clothes don\u2019t suit me.\u201d For some, however, it may be more difficult to find any clothes that fit their style or find clothes that fit at all. A student entrepreneur came up with a solution for this in the form of a web shop called Queer Clothes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\t
\n\t\t

What brings students to set up their own business? And how do they turn their entrepreneurial ideas into reality? In this series, student entrepreneurs talk about the early years of their business. In this instalment: with her web shop and blog Queer Clothes, Nicole van de Vorst aspires to help people find the right clothes and <\/em>build an LGBTQ+ platform.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n

Growing up<\/h2>

For Nicole van de Vorst, a second year IBCoM student, sometimes it was a little awkward going to the men\u2019s section to find clothes. As a part of the LGBTQ+ community, Nicole recounted that she is \u2018kind of a tomboy\u2019. \u201cI like wearing a lot of men\u2019s wear. Sometimes people asked if I was shopping for someone else and I would say no.\u201d Nothing extreme ever happened, but some people did give perturbed looks when Nicole said she was buying clothes for herself. For a time, she just ordered clothes online to avoid uncomfortable scenarios, but eventually she stopped paying attention to the occasional judgmental looks and went back to shopping at physical stores.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up it was more judgy\u201d, according to Nicole. \u201cNow I don\u2019t feel judged as much as before.\u201d With the world taking a step forwards towards acceptance, Nicole realized that there\u2019s now a question of how to fill previously unknown needs. Just like herself, other people in the LGBTQ+ community might want to wear clothing styles that aren\u2019t traditionally available for them. Thinking about this was where the seeds of Nicole\u2019s web shop were born.<\/p>\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSanne van der Most<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

From drawing to designing clothes<\/h2>

In the summer of 2018, Nicole first thought about beginning a project that could put her talents from design to use. \u201cI haven\u2019t designed clothes in the past. I used to draw characters from TV series I liked. I also made comics on my own \u2013 I didn\u2019t publish anything but it was just for fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Read more<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t