After receiving an abundant amount of open call applications, the Lichting jury announced their selection of 10 final candidates that will be competing against each other for the Lichting 2023 title. Before their debut to the public during Amsterdam Fashion Week Edition 2023, AFW sat down with each participant to talk about their collection and their plans for the upcoming Lichting show. This week we would like to introduce you to Floyd Rorije.
Can you tell me something about yourself and your trajectory as a fashion student?
My interest in fashion came to being when I was about 15 years old. As a child from divorced parents who didn’t have all the money in the world, I started to discover thrift stores as a means to experiment with my clothing style. This way I could try things out without spending a lot of money. As my interest in second-hand and vintage clothing grew, I got introduced to designers that work a lot with the repurposing of vintage clothing, such as Martin Margiela. Out of this huge appreciation and fascination, I decided to apply to ArtEZ in 2018 and got accepted. During my studies, I learned a lot about myself, what I wanted to make and how I wanted to communicate my style and interests to the rest of the world.
How did the concept of your graduation collection come to being?
My concept sprouted from my personal interest in film and music. When I was younger, I always watched music videos from Michael Jackson and George Michael. I was so interested in these little stories they would portray in their videoclips. In a sense, they were actually short films. I mainly have to thank my dad for my taste in film, as he would introduce me to very interesting movies from a very young age. Another big inspiration for me is music, punk/rock music to be specific. I recently delved into a lot of punk/rock music videos again which portray these confident rock stars being their own movie characters and that’s what I also relate too.
‘YOU AND I SEX’ is an Agender playful 11-look collection based around sustainability and my personal interest in punk/ rock music. I want to make sustainability sexy! More so, I want everyone to be able to wear my clothing and to feel like the leading role in their own movie when they do so. I want everybody to be as confident as those rock stars on stage.
What important themes do you address with your collection?
The emphasis on sustainability in my work comes from my personal experience really hating this fast fashion culture. I think we should appreciate every garment, and not waste clothing like we do nowadays where we wear an item once and rather buy a new one and throw it away than put it in the washing machine. I want to make sustainability normal. I try to make garments that don’t look like they are made from recycled clothing and can even have a sex feel to them! Here, ‘SEX’ is really an attitude. I try to make clothing that will last a long time, that is made from second-hand materials and that will give the feeling you are about to walk on the stage. What I also like to communicate with my collection is the common sense that everybody can wear anything; no more menswear or womenswear. You should just feel good in what you wear and that’s why you wear it. YOU AND I SEX
How would you describe your signature as a designer? How does this reflect in your collection?
I think I am still developing my own style and signature. At the moment I am continuously discovering so many new interests. I did however find this new take on my sustainable practices, where I make complicated leather jackets from second-hand leather garments, combining the SEX from the 70’s and 80’s with my experiences and knowledge from the now. In my collection you also see a lot of leather jackets. This is because leather jackets are for life. I am almost always wearing my vintage black moto jacket and am certain that this jacket will never break. Somebody probably wore it for over 20 years before me. The older the jacket gets the more beautiful it becomes.
Which piece from the collection are you most proud of? Why?
I think my strongest piece is the Cowboy Boot Jacket. It’s a jacket fully made from recycled cowboy boots and a vintage racing suit. It’s so strong because the fit, in my personal opinion, is really good. I made the jacket freestyle, meaning I didn’t make a prototype or anything beforehand. I designed it straight on the doll, and the effort that that took was insane. This jacket will live on forever, it will never break. It’s a monster.
What would be the ideal way to present your collection to the public in September? Can you already say something about what you currently have in mind?
I really like the traditional catwalk as I think it’s something iconic. To me, it’s still the strongest way to present a collection. Therefore, I’m going to keep my presentation quite classic. I do however like what they did in the 2000’s where there was a lot of posing on the runway. I might do something in that direction, but then more based on the dances of Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones. A little random 🙂
