In today’s podcast, we interview Winde Rienstra. She is the mastermind behind some of the most daring shoe and clothing designs out there. You can see her pieces in museums and in celebrities like Lady Gaga or Selena Gomez. She uses cardboard, glass beads, wood, lego blocks, plastic… there are no limits to her creativity.
With Winde Rienstra we are going to learn about her creative process, her personal and professional journey and how to live out of unconventional fashion. Click play and enjoy!
Today we are starting the third season of our Dubai Fashion News Podcast and we are really excited because this interview is different. We admire very much the people that decide to change the status quo of things, that challenge what is accepted and reinvent their own rules. Great couturiers are now remembered thanks to that daring attitude. Winde is sweet, shy, very observant, but it is a creative powerhouse.
ABOUT WINDE RIENSTRA
Winde initially studied Arts to become a teacher to later realize that, in reality, she wanted to be a fashion designer. In love with art and architecture, she always managed to impress her teachers. Thanks to that, she went to Australia as an exchange student. She loved the freedom of that semester and one of her assignments got the eye of Australian Vogue and was featured. All this, even before she graduated.
Regarded as a very promising star in the Netherlands, she immediately started producing fashion shows after finishing her studies. For three years, she prepared every single detail of the shows, and created absolutely everything that would go on stage. Not only the clothes but also the shoes, the bags and all sort of accessories.
Now she doesn’t do this anymore. “It is a lot of work, for a 10-minute show. Great for publicity, but not necessarily for sales.” At that time in her life, she realized that her priority was to safeguard her creativity, even if that would mean having less money or less visibility. She remembers the energy of friends, family, and interns working together to produce a show, the adrenaline that comes with the applause, the fun…
HER CREATIVE PROCESS
She loves art, architecture, nature and the small things. That is why traveling is a great source of inspiration. Dubai and Oman are now part of that inspiration after this trip. Oh! Our desert did leave quite an impression on her memory.
The designer doesn’t think of a particular person or muse when creating. She follows the material and what it can be done with it, using the moulage -draping directly the materials over the mannequin- instead of sketching.
Food for thought: Excessive knowledge might hinder our creativity.
HANDS ON!
When it comes to the production, and due to all the different materials Winde uses, her studio was not enough. Sanding machines, laser cutters, 3d printers… are part of the utensils she needs to create her pieces. Her father is very good with his hands and helps her a lot in transferring her ideas into the real world. It is an amazing team. We could say that the family that creates together, stays together!
WORKING WITH THE CELEBRITIES
Most probably you will work with their stylists, not with the celebrities themselves. Celebrities help put her name out there and it is great to get more people knowing what she is doing. “If only we could work with some more time”, says Winde. “Normally they come with very little time in advance. And because everything needs to be custom made, sometimes we end up running”.
Winde Rienstra has done already Opera-yep! the Madame Butterfly outfits. And she would love to be able to work on films. Taking into account her unique vision and talent, I am sure that is something to be happening very soon. I can see her dressing Khalessi and all the Star Wars cast!
WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF FASHION?
Being so futuristic her designs, this is a recurrent question for sure and she is very clear. “we need to have biodegradable clothes, recycle and be less wasteful. This is the reason why I am distancing myself from the fashion industry. It is not sustainable.”
BEST ADVICE EVER
To the question what would you advise any student that is considering to do unconventional fashion? She replies, “Stay true to who you are, find your own creative way and choose whatever feels good to you”.
I think is such good advice, that we should all take it.
Listen to the full interview here!
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