Standing (re)presentation(s): creating stylish outfits from secondhand clothing

March 9, 2021

min read

Creating stylish outfits from second-hand clothing—through Standing (re)presentations, you’ll discover that you don’t need expensive clothes to make your fashion dreams come true. The concept? A fashion stylist transforms second-hand clothing into stylish outfits inspired by teenagers’ favorite fashion icons. Once the outfits are ready, it’s time for the teenagers to step into the spotlight. They take part in a photoshoot with their own neighborhood as the backdrop. This concept followed the first two photoshoots in the Molendreef neighborhood.

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Back to basics

The concept began when Ines had a summer job in the Molendreef neighborhood. After meeting several families and spending time with them, she started taking photos while chatting with them. Soon they realized that this was a beautiful way to document stories. And that’s how Standing (re)presentations was born. The team quickly expanded, consisting of photographer Ines Vansteenkiste-Muylle, stylist Fiona Rombaut, and makeup artist Catia Nulens. To achieve the best possible result, participants were always asked for their opinions about the makeup and the outfits they wore. The goal is to dismantle the stigma that styled outfits have to be expensive or unsustainable. By creating outfits with second-hand clothing, the concept aims to give the participating teenagers more confidence to dress the way they want.

Previous shoots

The first photo shoot took place in the Molendreef neighborhood. Some teenagers drew inspiration from specific fashion icons, such as Billie Eilish; others were more inspired by a specific culture, such as Korean fashion. Fast forward to the second edition: two new teenagers participated in the shoot, which this time took place in Casablanca. This time, a wider range of icons were cited as sources of inspiration: from Cristiano Ronaldo to Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Zendaya.

Latest edition: Anderlecht

Since the first two photo shoots were a great success, Ines decided to continue the project. After being contacted by Anne-Sophie, a youth worker in Anderlecht, she organized the third edition on December 21, 2020.

Aicha, Sakina, Raymé, and Wiam were the four teenagers. Each of them had different fashion icons they looked up to. As in the first shoot, Aicha looked up to Asian fashion culture, specifically manga and Japanese fashion. Sakina and Wiam both named Eva Queen as their main influence, while Raymé wanted to dress like the French rapper JUL. Travis Scott was also a name that came up frequently. While the teenagers all enjoyed the shoot, opinions about the styling differed. Unlike Sakina, who was relieved she wasn’t too dressed up, Wiam regretted not asking for more makeup, since she regularly wears makeup in everyday life. Nevertheless, the whole day was a success, with Aicha’s Japanese-inspired outfit being the group’s favorite.

Text by Kiara Santeddu, photography & concept by [Ines Vansteenkiste-Muylle] (https://www.instagram.com/ines.vm/). This project was made possible thanks to financial support from the Flemish Journalism Fund‍

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