Sofie Aaldering: I want to make pieces that question the materials
24 years old – lives in Groessen, Netherlands – fashion and product designer focused on labor-intensive products, works with sisal and tulle materials that fast fashion avoids – a materials origin is very important to her
As a fashion designer your work focuses on combining uncommon materials with more common ones to create unique pieces. How would you describe your clothing?
My clothes are a labor-intensive products that show that materials can be used in a many different ways.
What do you mean when you say ‘pieces of clothing lose a part of story and experience?’
The fashion industry is all about selling as much as and as often as possible. Therefore, a lot of pieces are cheap and quiet basic. By making unique, labor intensive products, I want to bring back the story and create a dialogue within fashion. For me, it means to create pieces that are full of experience and say more than just one word.
“By making unique, labor intensive products, I want to bring back the story and create a dialogue within fashion.”
Where do you think your fascination with materials came from?
As a kid, I was playing outside in the nature. From an early age, I was getting my hands dirty and making stuff. I think this combination came very naturally to me.
I was always interested in different materials, and during my studies, I could experiment and fully expand this fascination I had. I am constantly trying something out to see if it works. And, even if I am satisfied, I will try to develop something else.
Why do you think that materials are — many times — undervalued or under-appreciated unlike the final product?
It all comes back to the way how the fashion industry works. As a company you would like to sell as much as possible, but also have a big profit. Cheap and easy to use materials therefore make a lot of sense for them. For instance, for a general fashion company it would be impossible to make clothing pieces that contain sisal rope, since the material needs a lot of preparation before it becomes usable.
Do you have a favorite material and how important is the origin of a material to you?
It’s the sisal rope that I just mentioned. When I started to work with it, it was a game changer because it is very fun to use and a versatile material. It can be used as support, but it can also add an entire new dimension when fully untwined.
Knowing the origin of materials is crucial to me. When we want to get as much as possible out of a material, we should know how it’s obtained and what has happened to it before it came to us. When you know this, you are much more aware, and the sustainability of the material can be dissected from that knowledge.
“When we want to get as much as possible out of a material, we should know how it’s obtained and what has happened to it before it came to us.“
Looking at your pieces I imagine that people often wander what is it made from? Is that your goal?
Yes. I want to make pieces that question the materials. I love the conversations I have with people about sisal rope and tule. You have to pay attention to the materials instead of quickly looking or glancing at it. I try to create this curiosity within the item.
During my graduation collection, I had a time where I was kind of stuck within my ideas for clothing. Therefore, I experimented with textile art. I worked with the same materials, and in the end, it totally transformed my collection rather than abandoning it.
I have to ask, because I have kids, but did you dress Miffy?
I did! Miffy had her 65th birthday in 2020, and in honor of her, some fashion art students were asked to make a unique outfit for Miffy. It was a very special side project and I loved seeing all the dressed up Miffys at the exhibition!
All photos © Sofie Aaldering