De Gelderlander Saturday June 17, 2009

Cultuur

Horror fashion full of humor from Klopper

Arnhem designer does not want a label of sustainability

by Agnes van Brussel Arnhem - "Do you want to see my old Singer?" asks fashion designer Jolanda Klopper (35). She immediately dives into her closet to show the Singer 611G. According to the worn-out manual, it was the "world's first automatic machine". "But look: I can easily connect it to a stair device with a lace and a staple." She continues to make clothes, even without electricity. "Slow fashion? Yes, it takes me quite a long time. Sustainability? I am sustainability incarnate. I live in a squat, wear my homemade clothes until they are worn out, collect wood to light my stove and do my was with a friend once every two weeks."

Jolanda Klopper has her own website. There was also a store in the Kortestraat in Arnhem, but that only existed for three months. "Selling clothes is not my thing. I deflated like a balloon. Now I have my studio here in the Spijkerbuurt and I can breathe again." The studio consists of a spacious attic and a small exhibition space downstairs. "I can play my music loud here and it won't bother anyone. This place provides inspiration."

Klopper makes clothing that can last for years. When she thinks of sustainable clothing, she thinks of motorcycle jackets and classic jeans. "They are timeless." She is constantly looking for interesting materials. She sometimes buys up discarded lots of fabric and scours the markets. "I don't have any money to buy on purpose. But I never run out of materials. I inherited something spiritual from my mother. I can let things go. You have to enjoy every day, everything could collapse tomorrow."

Her spirituality is not expressed in Buddha statues and incense. The studio is full of horror figures and she puts creepy elements into her clothing. She is currently working on a large, sturdy men's jacket on commission. When you put it on, you feel the elastic fabrics that she uses in the back. The collar is extra high and soft on the inside. “A jacket is there to protect you,” she says. But on the back there are some embroidered bloody bullet holes. That's humor, but it's also deeper. "As a child I had fears of monsters. I fantasized revenge bears, to attack them. Now I am going to confront my horror fashion."

Jolanda Klopper's clothing can be seen during the Awearness Fair Fashion Event in the Eusebius Church in Arnhem. Start: 2 p.m. More information: www.atelierklopper.nl

photo Marina Popova, Jolanda Klopper makes subtle fashion with rough edges