Gerrit Jacob
PPS: Tell us a bit about your latest collection.
GJ: In MERCY, my latest collection, themes of religious & spiritual iconography, youthful rebellion, and cultural memory collide, giving form to a raw and introspective exploration of faith and rejection. Inspired by my personal experiences with Christianity, “Mercy” brings a lens to the tumultuous relationship between belief and self-doubt, as well as the liberation that comes from questioning tradition.
PPS: Is there a specific motif or symbol you keep returning to—and why?
GJ: God knows I love tigers. They are everything, dangerous, cute, tacky, exotic, familiar, pretty, deadly, furry. I will love tigers until the day I die. I guess you could say I love kitch things, anything that would be hanging up on my grandmas wall really.
PPS: How has living in various European cities and their respective cultures influenced your creative process and shaped who you are as an artist today?
GJ: It most definitely has but I’m not sure I’m the right person to tell you how. Every experience, professional or personal, has affected the way I view the world or what I do.
PPS: In an age of endless revival, how do you balance homage and innovation in this collection?
GJ: If you have something to say and approach your craft/discipline with care and seriousness that will inevitable show. Good references can’t create a point-of-view out of thin air.
PPS: Do you think the term “timeless” still holds weight in today’s 15-second trend cycles?
GJ: I really don’t think fashion by definition is or should strive to be timeless. I’m not saying timing is not important but you just have to do whatever feels right in the moment and just trust that that instinct is going to stand the test of time
PPS: Your pieces often straddle the line between wearable and cultural commentary. Where do you draw the line—if at all?
GJ: I don’t, I put all of my desires and thoughts into what I do and that ranges from “cultural commentary” to wanting to look hot af. I don’t see those as mutually exclusive either
PPS: Many influential and talented music artists have turned to you for their looks. If this collection had a soundtrack, what songs or artists would it feature?
GJ: We literally blast music at the studio all day everyday from the early am to the late pm. So the soundtrack would mainly be songs that we were playing while making the collection
Madonna -Skin
Tropa do Bruxo - Baile do Bruxo
Amaarae - Counterfeit
Aphex Twin - Flap Head
Two Shell - Round
Pink Pantheress & Destroy Lonely - Turn your phone off
BbyMutha - piss!
Schwesta Ewa - Afterhour
The Prodigy - Narayan
Bladee - Hotel Breakast
Dizzee Rascal - Wot U On?
Hiko Momji & Meat Computer - white light
Coucou Chloe - IDK
DJ ZInc, Ms Dynamite - Wile Out
Grace Jones - Pull Up to The Bumper
PPS: If sustainability didn’t feel like a buzzword, how would you define it within your practice?
GJ: It does feel like an empty buzzword. You just have got to try and create something so special that there is a reason for it to exist in the world and no reason for it to be thrown away.
PPS: What impact or change would you like to see in the fashion world, and how would you like to contribute to it?
GJ: Less creepy men and I would like to contribute to it by not working with creepy men.
