September 2021

 

I’m 21, just moved to the Netherlands alone for work, and don’t speak the native language. People speak English really well over there but, bureaucracy is still in Dutch. So, as if navigating all my first-time ‘adulting’ with taxes, registrations etc. wasn’t enough, there was the additional challenge of language. Needless to say, google translate became my best friend.

 

While trying to clean, and move into my apartment a series of unfortunate events started to unfold. It all started with a stubbed toe, and getting my shirt caught on the door handle every time I tried to get through the doorway. So, I decide to put some music on to lighten the moods up. Halfway into Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' the phone I had bought the day before was no longer. Maybe balancing it on the shelf to get 'better acoustics' wasn't such a great idea.

 

Just when I think to myself 'It can't get any worse', I hear the washing machine chime. Laundry’s done! I take all my dark colours I carefully chose, and started to hang them up. Then, in the corner of my eye I see it. My favourite most cherished article of clothing, my navy Ralph Lauren cable knit sweater underneath the pile, now 4 sizes smaller. On autopilot, consumed with worries, it seems I had accidentally thrown it in the wash.​

 

The shrunken sweater was the last straw...whenever I put this sweater on, it made me feel like everything I aspired to be. It allowed me to dream big. Every moment I wear Ralph Lauren my life feels romanticised, and in that moment I lost the possibility of that escape. 

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Absorbed by the feelings of being alone and fighting my overwhelm, I realised I had to allow myself to accept all my feelings, sit with them, and acknowledge them for what they were.

 

*Ideation*

 

Within my family, both sides, the idea that everything can be repurposed or kept for sentimental value is a very prominent one. So, as a bi-product of these beliefs I saved that sweater, made a cute little vest out of it and kept the sleeves in my scraps pile, until I had the perfect use for them.

 

Then, after settling into the apartment, with my first chance to sit in my solitude and creative flow the concept came to me. Some glue, thread and a couple broken needles later...

 

RLxAF1

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*Forethought*

 

While working that year, I also had the privilege to learn more about the world of footwear product management and more specifically footwear development. This is where the idea to potentially upcycle textile waste and save some shoes came in. However, I am still exploring and building my knowledge in order to understand how unique/varied each pair can/should be in order to achieve production on a larger scale.