Inspiring

Clothes tell stories

They’re made to cover us, keep us comfortable, and to communicate our style. This is true for what we wear today, and it was true for the clothes people wore in the past. To learn more about the stories clothes can tell, we started out with the amazing collection at Museum Rotterdam. After learning about these garments, students were challenged to think about the stories they want their own garments to tell. Through workshops, competitions, and collaborative design processes, students were encouraged to create T-shirt designs that tell a story — reflecting both their personal values and broader societal themes.

Co-creating the T-shirt design

First presentation at Zadkine

To kick-off the project, we organized a design competition called Dress Code Freedom for first-year Business & Fashion students at Zadkine College, Rotterdam.

Leonie Sterenborg introduces the project to Zadkine College students in Rotterdam. Production: LGGB team.

Students of Zadkine College participate in a workshop at the Museum Rotterdam’s depot. Production: LGGB team.

Workshop at the museum depot

The competition began with a workshop at the Museum Rotterdam depot, where students learned about the histories, uses and values of certain collection items. They also learned about the drawbacks of conventional cotton cultivation in India, explored the opportunities that growing organic cotton provides, and discovered some of the uses of cotton in Indian garments.

This video follows them on their visit in November 2022 and shows a compilation of the visit.

The winning design

Using these insights, the students worked in teams to design a cotton T-shirt, and presented their ideas in a vlog. A panel of Zadkine lecturers and project team members evaluated the designs and selected Alisetty and Larissa’s proposal as the winner. Their prize was a trip to Tamil Nadu, India, a major center of the global textile industry.

Alisetty and Larissa’s winning pitch for the project T-shirt in 2022. Production: Alisetty Hirschfeld and Larissa Ramirez.

The back and front of the project T-shirt, designed by Alisetty and Larissa. Images: Alisetty Hirschfeld and Larissa Ramirez.

Angisa

In their prize-winning design, Larissa and Alisetty were inspired by this Surinamese headkerchief (angisa) in Museum Rotterdam’s collection. The headkerchief commemorates the 100th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Suriname, a country which was colonized by the Netherlands. The corners of the angisa depict scenes that evoke the practice of slavery in Suriname, while the text in the center celebrates the emancipation of formerly enslaved people. The broken chains, known as keti koti, symbolize the freedom they achieved.

The angisa is an important part of Afro-Surinamese attire. The beautiful headkerchiefs  are starched, folded and worn on the head. Not only do the prints bear meaning, this also holds for how the textile is worn. Angisas are cherished and passed down from generation to generation. Because of their symbolic value, they are much more than a simple piece of clothing.

An angisa headkerchief commemorating the 100th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Suriname, 1963. Photo: Museum Rotterdam, inv.nr. 81592.

Travelling to Tamil Nadu

Ten weeks later, Alisetty and Larissa traveled with the project team to Tamil Nadu. There, they presented their design to Costume Design and Fashion students at the Erode College of Arts and Sciences (ECAS).

The Erode College of Arts and Sciences is located in a region of Tamil Nadu that is home to a large number of garment factories. Photo: Mayke Groffen.

Alisetty and Larisa at the Costume Design and Fashion department (ECAS). Photo: Erik de Maaker.

Alisetty and Larisa presenting their project T-shirt design to the Costume Design and Fashion students at ECAS. Photo: Rachel Lee.

Working on alternatives

The ECAS students first worked individually, producing several alternative designs for the T-shirt prints.

After a selection process, the designs by Rasigapriya and Jaswantee were chosen (see images below). Their contributions highlighted that true freedom for women means breaking free from traditional gender roles.

Costume Design and Fashion students at ECAS presenting their designs for the print on the project T-shirt. photo: Erik de Maaker.

Jaswantee’s design for the print on the project T-shirt. Photo: Erik de Maaker.

Rasigapriya’s design for the print on the project T-shirt. Photo: Erik de Maaker.

Co-creating the design

The four students then collaborated on a new design, each contributing creatively. The video gives a time-lapse impression of this collaborative design process.

In the months that followed, the T-shirt was produced by Raddis Cotton, following a sustainable production process. (You can follow this process on the Making webpage.)

Time-lapse impression of the collaborative design process. Video: Gautam Muralidharan.

The final designs of the prints for the front and back of the project T-shirt. Image: Alisetty Hirschfeld, Jaswantee Vimalraja, Larisa Ramirez, Rasigapriya Sivakumar.

Alisetty, Larisa, Rasigapriya and Jaswantee (from left to right). Photo: Erik de Maaker.

Costume Design and Fashion students and professors and the project-team at ECAS. Photo: LGGB project team.

One year later…

One year later, in February 2024, the project team returned to ECAS with the finished T-shirts. Although Alysetty and Larisa could not join this time, Jaswantee and Rasigapriya – already ECAS graduates – explained the co-creation process to current students. They explained the concept of the prints on the front and back of the T-shirt. By then the T-shirt had been produced by Raddis cotton, and could be handed out to the students.

Jaswantee and Rasigapriya show the project T-shirt to Costume, Design and Fashion students at ECAS. Production: LGGB team.

Drawing inspiration from Museum Rotterdam’s collection

Measuring light by Nikki, one of Museum Rotterdam’s custodians. The cotton T-shirt is part of the Zeeman’s 2021 streetwear collection. Photo: Inez Smit. Collection Museum Rotterdam, inv. nr. 92054.4.

Rotterdam is the Netherlands’ second large city and has a strong working-class identity. It’s th ekind of place where you might see shirts displayed in shop windows with the sleeves already rolled up, ready for work. The working-class image aligns well with the no-nonsense cotton T-shirt, a piece of clothing named after the T shape of its body and sleeves.

The Museum Rotterdam houses an extensive collection of textiles and clothing, including garments from local couture designers and fashion houses. The collection is also well-known for its workwear, both historical and contemporary, and everyday clothing seen on Rotterdam’s streets. From regional costumes of the past to contemporary street style, the museum focuses on how clothing reflects social identities.

In 2022, the project challenged students from the Zadkine College to design a cotton T-shirt, using the Museum Rotterdam’s collection as inspiration. By the end of 2023, the project had distributed 200 T-shirts in India, and 200 in the Netherlands. Museum Rotterdam has participated in the project from the start, and the T-shirt, along with documentation of its creation, will be curated as part of the museum’s collection.

This T-shirt, produced as part of the project, invites students and fashion enthusiasts to explore their relationships with the garments they wear. The T-shirt serves as an invitation to take part in this research process.

We help you

Logos on company clothing are key in helping people recognize staff. This white cotton T-shirt stating ‘We help you’, was worn by stewards of the three-day Holland Pop Festival in Rotterdam back in 1970. It has since become a memorable souvenir of the first major pop festival in the Netherlands.

‘We help you.’ White cotton T-shirt worn by the stewards of the Holland Popfestival in Rotterdam, 1970. Photo: Museum Rotterdam.

Museum Rotterdam, inv.nr. 82622.

Punk T-shirt

This torn, worn, patched and self-decorated T-shirt is part of Marc’s punk outfit. As a young punk living on the streets of Rotterdam, he was homeless and did all the repairs to his clothing himself. He also decorated his jeans with safety pins, graffiti and things he found on the street. Through this, he felt he was making a clear statement against the existing social order.

Punk T-shirt and complete outfit worn by Marc from 1981 to 1983. Photo: Museum Rotterdam.

Museum Rotterdam, inv.nr. 24340-24345.

 

I love 5314

In 1976, graphic artist Milton Glaser created the iconic “I love NY” T-shirt logo to promote New York City. Today, variations of the design can be found representing cities around the world, from “I love Delhi” to “I love Amsterdam”, with the famous love heart symbol crossing international boundaries.

Murat’s T-shirt takes a bold twist on this concept by replacing NY with “5314”, the public transport zonal code for a deprived Rotterdam neighborhood. Murat proudly represents his part of the city. He explains: “I grew up there, I have seen and experienced a lot there. I’m proud of that. And people should see that I am proud.”

White cotton “I love 5314” T-shirt designed by Murat to display affection for his neigborhood, 2008. Photo: Museum Rotterdam.

Museum Rotterdam, inv. nr. 86903.1.

SKEER T-shirt

This cotton T-shirt was part of the Zeeman’s 2021 streetwear collection, a Dutch company known for its affordable yet good quality clothing. The SKEER logo is prominently displayed on each item.

For the launch of this collection, rapper Hef Bundy created a song. Having experienced the rough Rotterdam street life during his youth, Hef found his calling in music. In his song ‘SKEER’ (which means ‘broke’) he emphasizes that happiness doesn’t come from expensive designer clothes. As he puts it: ”It’s about who you are, what you think, and not about your clothes.”

White cotton T-shirt “SKEER”,  part of Zeeman’s streetwear collection, 2021. Photo: Museum Rotterdam.

Museum Rotterdam, inv.nr. 92054.4.

Link to YouTube video Hef – S.K.E.E.R.

Toolbox Inspiring

This toolbox contains links to additional sources that can help you further explore the topics discussed on this website. The toolbox has links to videos, blogs and other online publications, as well as articles and books. Not all of them are open access. The toolbox is organized according to three themes: History, Style and Mending. Enjoy! 

History

The global spread of the use of cotton to produce clothes, and the emergence of a garment industry centering on cotton from the 19th century onwards, has played a defining role in the industrial revolution, as well as the rise of modern capitalism.

1. The history of cotton

The production and usage of cotton garments is a key factor in today’s globalized world, and the environmental and societal challenges it poses urgently need to be addressed.

2. History of the T-shirt

T-shirts are nowadays often worn to make a fashion and/ or a political statement, but originally t-shirts were only worn as underwear.

Style

While T-shirts usually have a T-shape, its material, cut, color and print can lead to very different styles and genres.

1. T-shirt inspiration

2. Designing T-shirts

Mending

Does your favorite T-shirt have a hole? Or do you no longer like its style or cut? This is not a reason to part with your T-shirt, because there are many ways to mend, refashion or upcycle it. Traditionally, repair was done ‘invisible’, but nowadays ‘visible’ mending has become a trend. It is even seen as a conscious choice, as activism.

1. Repairing

2. Refashioning