Ten years after the founding of her label, Dutch designer Tess van Zalinge celebrates this anniversary with the show Straitjacket in Utrecht, the city where her career began. In the weekend prior to the presentation, the designer took an hour out of her busy schedule to look back with FashionUnited on a decade full of craft, experiment and idiosyncrasy and to look ahead to the future of her label.
A few days later, the anniversary show showed how great the interest was. Under the bright Utrecht summer sun, a long line of visitors winds their way to the road in front of the Munt building. A number of guests arrive on foot or park their public transport bicycle in the racks in front of the entrance. Dutch glamour, fitting for a designer who has been drawing inspiration from Dutch traditions and craftsmanship for ten years.
For Van Zalinge, Utrecht feels like coming home. The designer was born there, opened her first studio there and developed her signature as a fashion designer there. “It doesn’t matter where I’ve lived, when I come to Utrecht I immediately feel at home again,” she says. “Here I really discovered who I am as a fashion maker within this industry.”
It feels obvious to her that the anniversary show takes place in this city. The presentation bears the title Straitjacketa reference to the historical corset – a silhouette that regularly returns in her work – but also to the broader theme of expectations, traditions and the way in which clothing can tell stories. The title also fits within a broader line in Van Zalinge’s oeuvre. The designer has a fascination with the Dutch language, which is also reflected in previous collection titles such as Three-leaf clover and Naturallywith which she often refers to Dutch language, culture and heritage.
“My goal has never been to dress as many people as possible,” Van Zalinge explains. “I really see fashion as a formal language.” For her, clothing is not a purely functional product, but a medium through which craft, history and identity become visible. Different techniques, materials and historical references come together to convey a story.
Ten years of building your own universe
When Van Zalinge looks back on the past ten years, the first thing she thinks about is not collections or shows, but the people around her. “I am extremely proud of the team, seamstresses and freelancers I work with. Some of them I have been working with for years. That is very special.”
She immediately nuances the image that many people have of the fashion world. “It may all sound very glamorous, but it is anything but. We work very hard.”
That mentality also helped her stick to a clear creative direction. Van Zalinge does not describe her label as commercial. “I am not a commercial brand, and financially that is sometimes quite challenging, if I am very honest. I am also stubborn in that regard. Of course I occasionally do commercial collaborations in between, but I would never describe my label as commercial.”
Be open to unexpected collaborations
Over the past ten years, Van Zalinge also learned that valuable projects can sometimes come from unexpected sources. She calls a collaboration with De Glasblazerij in Leerdam, where she collaborated on the Oranjevaasje in honor of Princess Alexia’s eighteenth birthday, a good example of this. “My first reaction was: why are they asking me, a fashion designer?” she says. However, she gradually discovered the similarities between her own work and the craft of glassblowing. “Maybe I didn’t immediately see the connection at first, but I have come to really appreciate the material and the craft.”
That experience eventually led to new experiments. The collaboration resulted in handmade glass bags, which Van Zalinge incorporated into her couture collection Momentum. The collection debuted during Copenhagen Fashion Week and was also presented during Amsterdam Fashion Week a month later.
This open attitude has taught her to work less from expectations and to embrace new disciplines, provided they match her creative vision and the signature of her label.
Regional costume remains the common thread
Although her design vision continues to evolve with each collection, some fascinations have remained unchanged. “I will remain obsessed with regional costumes until the end,” Van Zalinge says with a laugh.
In her anniversary collection she also breaks a personal habit. For the first time, the color red plays a prominent role. “I’ve always said that I find red a difficult color. I usually work with white and pastel shades,” she says. “So I’m secretly very curious about the reactions to that.” During the show, these reactions appear not to take long. The anniversary collection shows more color and a different use of materials than visitors to Van Zalinge are used to.
This preference for neutral tones has its origins at the fashion academy. “That’s where I learned: if you can make a garment perfectly in white, you can make it in any color. On white you can see every flaw, every seam and every stitch. On black, something is disguised much more quickly.”
Her view on sustainability has also broadened over the years. While her initial focus was mainly on upcycling and working with residual materials, she now looks at the entire process. “I have always been concerned with waste and upcycling, but now I look at it much more broadly. For example, I would rather travel through Europe with an electric car than fly everywhere.”
From here to Tokyo
When the conversation shifts to the future, Van Zalinge doesn’t have to think long. When asked what dreams are still on the table, a clear answer immediately follows: Japan. After ten years, the designer is clearly looking ahead and still sees plenty of opportunities for her label internationally.
“I think my brand would fit very well there, just like in Scandinavia. I would like to bring a piece of Dutch design to Japan.” According to Van Zalinge, the combination of Dutch regional costume, corsets and craftsmanship fits in well with the appreciation for craftsmanship that she sees in Japan. Where she believes the West is often characterized by speed and a constant urge to continue, in Japan she experiences more attention, time, love and dedication for the craft. The designer also draws a lot of inspiration from Japanese artists. “I think that’s a very good match.”
First impressions are exchanged immediately after the show. On a bench further away, a relative of Van Zalinge discusses the collection: “So much different than other times. So much color, and very different use of fabric.” It is exactly the kind of reaction that Van Zalinge said he was curious about a few days earlier, during the conversation with FashionUnited.
