What do you get when you put eight ladies together in a photo collage, matching their clothes, sneakers and location? ALL FOR THE KICKS is the answer. I am more than proud, very satisfied and super hyped to share this new project with you.
A few months ago I kept on wandering: with all of my talented, gorgeous female friends (from the inside and outside!), there must be some kind of way to make sure people notice this? And that’s how the idea of this project came up. Yes, I call it a project, ‘cause it sure is a lot of work: from location to location, two whole days shooting, carrying bags ‘till we couldn’t feel our legs anymore, changing clothes outside, having lunch at 3.30am with our homemade sandwiches, saving as much money as possible and putting make-up on our face outside on the streets. By the way, it’s also very difficult to meet up with eight friends at the same time. BUT, no matter how much time and effort we put into this: it was all worth it.
ALL FOR THE KICKS (AFTK) isn’t just a fun concept showing you how great the clothes and shoes are. No, there is a message behind all this. But instead hearing this from me, I’m going to make you scroll down and read what the ladies have to say themselves. Perhaps you will also get to know them a little bit this way – until a certain point. I hope AFTK will inspire people, but most of all: let it be a wake-up call that chicks on kicks are also very nice not dressed half naked.
I am super, super proud and – if I may say so myself – the result is amazing.
SASCHA LEKATOMPESSY
CONVERSE ALL STARS | ADIDAS SUPERSTAR
“My name is Sascha, 23, freelance dancer and dance teacher who graduated two years ago from a dance academy in Arnhem. As a girl from the South of the Netherlands, raised in a small village, I have always been different from the rest. I created a certain love for sneakers. The way a person dresses says a lot about your personality – even though that might sound very cliché. It’s a reflection of personal interests and features: I think it’s beautiful to see that on the outside. As for me… I have this compulsive thing of adapting my entire outfit to my shoes. And believe me, my amount of shoes is a lot.”
ELYSE MULDER
NIKE BLAZER VINTAGE MID | NIKE AIR MAX 90 ALL WHITE
“Shoes and clothing have always been important to me. If you ask me, it says a lot about you as an individual and what you want to radiate. Wear the things YOU like and where you feel comfortable in, that’s what matters most. Personally I don’t really have one inspiration. Most of the time people on the street or certain social media platforms inspire me. Moreover, I like a basic style, sometimes with a little touch of color or print. I think heels are beautiful, but I prefer sneakers in most cases. My name is Elyse Mulder, 20 years old, mixed and final-year student at the Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam.”
DEWY ELSINGA
CONVERSE ALL STARS LOW | NIKE AIR MAX 90 INFRARED
“My name is Dewy, 22 years old and student at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. From an early age I’ve always had some kind of sneaker fetish. That’s why I worked in different sneaker stores. The way you dress determines, in my opinion, to what kind of subculture you belong to. But because I don’t like to put people in boxes, I also don’t believe in one typical clothing style. The combination of rock-‘n-roll, hip-hop, hippy and skate is what I like the most. I really admire individuals for showing their own personal style and don’t go with the crowd. But above all: the most important thing is to stay true to yourself – everything in fashion will come back in 20 years anyway.”
SHAZ ABRAHAM
PUMA SUEDE ECO TONAL | VANS HALF CAB
“I’m Shaz, 22 years and I study Allround Styling (fashion, media, interior and food) at the Academy Artemis in Amsterdam. I’m also a sales advisor at Peek & Cloppenburg. From an early age I’ve always been very creative. From being busy with a color pencil to dancing or styling itself. Sneakers are a big part of my shoe collection, yet when I wear sneakers I like to combine it with a little more formal garment. I like to wear clothes where I feel comfortable in. However: getting out of your comfort zone sometimes may be helpful to find out your own style.”
ISMAY SCHADUW
NIKE AIR MAX 90 REFELECTIVE | NIKE AIR 93 MENTHOL
“The first thing I see when I look at a person, are the shoes. They tell a lot about a person and finish off your outfit. Even with the simplest outfit, the right sneakers can make a huge difference. Therefore I wear sneakers every day and I’m inspired by the 90’s. I like to keep it vintage! Besides that I like to keep my outfits simple, casual and minimalistic. I also like to wear a lot of black, simply because it’s easier to combine with colorful sneakers. And of course because I feel most comfortable in it. I think that’s the most important! Oh yeah, my name is Ismay Schaduw. I’m 19 years old and student Graphic Design.”
STEPHANY CAPARN
PALLADIUM PAMPA HI | NIKE FREE RUN 2
“My name is Stephany Caparn, 23 years old and student Fine Art (Photography) at the Willem de Kooning Academy. How I dress is really important to me, because it says a lot about me as a person. It also says a lot about the mood I am in at that very moment. I like to wear vintage clothing, sometimes color, but my style is often very minimalistic in graphic shapes and preferably in black and/or white color. No outfit goes without my lipstick. I am sure that when you are a 100% convinced of your outfit, it will affect your self-confidence. And people notice that by your appearance!”
NIKÉ DONKER
NIKE BLAZER VINTAGE MID | NIKE AIR MAX 2014 TRAINERS
“My name is Niké. (Yes, it looks like the brand Nike, but it’s not.) For twenty years I’ve been walking this earth. Sometimes I take pictures, sometimes I write strange sentences and sometimes I pretend I can sing. I’m also known as the girl with a fringe and I wear lipstick, almost every day, pretty much always. I admire fried noodles and my dog is my best friend. I’m not a middle of the road person: It’s all black or eye hurting colorful. Moreover I’m not a shoe expert, but hey: does that matter?”
CELESTE VAN JOOST
PUMA SUEDE SPECTRUM BLUE | NIKE BLAZER VINTAGE LOW
“My interest in fashion made its presence at an early age, because of my mom being a fashion designer. Yet my love for sneakers started because of my three year older brother. Whether you like it or not: the way you dress says something about yourself. Some more expressive than others. My name is Celeste (22), student Journalism, sales advisor at Monki and blogger. (I’m not really a fan of the word ‘blogger’, but finding an alternative is everything but easy.) I think it matters to dress according to your body shape. This may sound cliché, but it is the truth. In that way you will feel more comfortable in the clothes you wear.
Pictures: Niké Donker
Concept/styling: Celeste van Joost
Big thanks to my lovely ladies: Sascha Lekatompessy, Elyse Mulder, Dewy Elsinga,
Shaz Abraham, Ismay Schaduw, Stephany Caparn and Niké Donker.