Not being accepted for who you are can result in many not realizing their full potential or even abandoning all hopes and dreams for the future. That is not the case with Lucas Straetmans who saw this as an opportunity to create something unique, a world where people are transformed into colourful and fluffy monsters, the Mavericks! What are these creatures exactly and which purpose do they serve? A little chat with the young designer from Belgium gave us all the answers and here we present them to you.
Otherworldly tales come to life through your innovative designs. When did you decide to incorporate such themes to your work and why?
The idea for the collection originated at a party I attended. At this party I was called a ‘fag’ multiple times. I was very irritated by this. Irritated by the fact that it is still not ok to be whoever or whatever you want to be. Some people are still called names, treated like animals, like monsters. I liked this idea, people that are monsters. I researched all kinds of monsters. Through this research I came up with my own kind of monster. A colourful and fluffy one which is also very confident and proud.
Your latest collection Maverick is very much influenced by this idea with conceptual accessories and headpieces such as bunny ears and plexiglass masks making their appearance. Which part of the design process really helped to bring this vision to life?
For me, the idea of a monster often relates to that of an animal or a human/animal hybrid. I tried to put a certain kind of animalistic feel to the collection, with shapes and textures. In the design process I made a lot of collages to represent my own kind of monster. Plexiglass allowed me to work towards the fun, young, colourfullmavericks I had envisioned when I started work on the collection.
Do you ever take in account the commercial viability of your clothes or do you design for the sake of it?
Being still in school, it isn’t high on my list of priorities. I think, now, it’s more important to express my personal view on fashion. I have the rest of my carreer to worry about commercial viability. However, it is something I recognise to be very important. I had feedback suggesting that my work is very commercial and that is something I actually tried to distance myself from while working on my Maverick collection. I do feel I have control over it, and can move back to it when needed.
Being a new avant-garde designer do you fear failure or lack of recognition in an industry that is often all too homogenous?
Of course I fear failure. You are very right in saying that is a homogenous world. What is the point of planting another tree in an already overcrowded forest? I think, these are thoughts that haunt every designer’s head. Fashion is what I feel I have to do. It’s the thing that makes me happy and keeps me going. Not working in fashion is just not an option. I have to trust that eventually, what I do, will find an audience somewhere. An audience that will look at life the same way I do. I can’t possibly be the only one in the world, can I?
You have stated in the past that you believe in the individual rather than the division between man and woman. Should we assume that you were referring to the unisex nature of your pieces or is there more to it?
Everyone should just do what they like and what feels good to them. I don’t see the value in dividing men and women and judging whoever crosses the line in between. I do have a personal opinion on what looks better on men and what looks better on women. But that’s just me. I don’t need anyone to agree with me. I do however expect everyone to be just as tolerant! Initially my collection was supposed be entirely unisex but in the making some silhouettes turned out to be more feminine. Then again that’s my opinion but I’d be honoured if a man were to wear these pieces.
What is your view on fashion as a form of interaction? What are you trying to communicate through it?
Actually, kind of the cliché thing: expressing who you are. Let fashion be the thing trough which you can show the world who you are, or who you want to be!
The impromptu nature of your work makes it real hard to guess what’s next for you. What are your plans and/or hopes for the near future?
So far my work has been tied to my education at the KASK, School of Arts, in Ghent. I am currently finishing my Master’s degree by doing an internshipp with A. F. Vandevorst. When school finishes in June, I think it might be time for me to try my luck outside the Belgian borders. I’d like to find an internship or job in London. I’d like to take on some small projects or even try some new collaborations. But most importantly, even it’s just on the sidelines for now, I want to keep doing my own thing, continue working on my Mavericks. I simply have to.