Blurring the lines between hide and bytes, designer Sammy Hoever (25) incorporates her Surinamese-Dutch heritage into inspiring and inclusive content. In contradiction to physical designs, her digital leather jackets don’t aim for perfection, showcasing the beauty in imperfection.
Have you always been into digital fashion?
I’ve been an all-round creative person since I was young. But woodworking was something I often did as a kid, as well as things with clay and stuff like that. Next to that I took drawing and painting classes and loved creativity as a whole.
What is your drive?
Lately, I’m getting a bit upset about the fashion industry. I think it’s very sad and a little shallow, now that I’m getting older I feel like I don’t want to be a part of this fashion industry.
Do you think digital fashion will have a place in the future, and what will this look like?
It’s a hard question. I do think it has, but I don’t know what it’s going to look like. It might be just digital clothes with filters, and honestly, I’m not a big fan of that. It’s cute, I know a lot of 3D designers that do that, but it’s not really my cup of tea. I personally want to go more into creative direction, so I hope I can make digital fashion campaigns, or digital campaigns in general. Those would be more sustainable.
Leather jackets have a rich history and identity, how do you represent that through digital fashion?
I just love leather, I think leather is such a pure and beautiful fabric. Also very sustainable, you can wear it for a long time. It was very nice to recreate real-looking leather, all leather is authentic and different, it has these marks, scratches or scars, and I really wanted to recreate that in the digital world.
Do you see a future where a combination of digital and analogue can come to life for you?
I hope I can create footage where parts of the digital world and real human beings can be one. Also in my work, I love to do a physical shoot with people and photoshop 3D garments over their bodies, as they are wearing them.
Do you see digital clothing trends overlapping with the needs of social media?
Honestly, not really. I do see that people on social media constantly want to wear new things, which isn’t sustainable. I think that digital work can make it more responsible and make it better for the planet.
How do fabrics like leather react differently in digital compared to physical?
When you work with physical garments, you want everything to look perfect. But in the digital world, my main goal is not to make it look flawless, but to make it look real. Leather is not flawless at all, this is why I love it so much. So then for me, it’s how I can make this digital hide look like the real thing. How can I recreate these scratches, tiny spots and holes that hide also has.
How do you recreate these fabrics so close to the real thing?
There is this program called ‘Substance Painter’. You can really paint and create all these things like marks, scars and holes, you name it. I also photoshop this. It’s not only with leather but also with human skins. When I render a model, I recreate veins, scars and even bruises, because real skin also has that.
You can follow Sammy and see more of her work on her Instagram; @sammyhoever.
In Dutch, Bink translates to “tough guy”. Which is quite ironic,being them non-binary and quite femme individual. They, a digital artist and designer, portray stories about gender, their lived experiences, or stories based on their surroundings in combination with a fantasy. A Queer fantasy.
In your artistry you tend to gravitate towards a subject that has an ‘icon status’ in modern culture. For example the “I Love… t-shirt” or the leather jacket. How come those subjects intrigue you?
I love taking things out of the context they were created in, to evolve them into something else. I feel like this is something that also happened to me in a way.
Gravitating towards subjects with an ‘icon status’, is camp. And I loooooveee camp. This movement is very referential in its essence and very queer at the same time. It tells a story of something that people can often relate to, but it’s taken out of the context it was created in to often make it more bold and queer.
Why does showcasing your personal identity and creating an online/digital persona help define the type of person you become?
Because representation matters. Ever since openly identifying as a queer non – binary person I try to look for people who could represent me in a way. However, it has not been easy to find the representation I was looking for. A lot of queer history has been erased and many queer people did not make it past my age, and I am only 22. That moves me. Not only in an emotional way but also as inspiration to live my life visibly and unapologetically.
The leather jacket has often been seen as a symbol of rebellion. What does rebellion look like for you?
Rebellion to me looks like the purest form of self-expression. In my opinion, this is drag. Drag to me, especially from the era before the internet, is very inspiring. It is inherently political but also a celebration of life. In this pre internet era of drag there were no guides as to how to become a drag artist. Rebellion does not always have to be this expressive, but its visibility is often a necessity.
How do you feel like the creation of digital art shapes you as a person?
Some people label this fantasy as a form of escapism but to me it can also serve as a form of inspiration that could or should become reality. Digital art however is a very broad concept, so it is hard to answer this question and taking into account all these different elements.
What does your future look like?
Honestly, based on the state of the world right now the perspective is not very bright. However, I remain optimistic. I think that optimism is a necessity, since it is something that moves and inspires people. In more specific terms my future looks very colourful. Not necessarily in terms of actual colour but more so in terms of self-expression. A beautiful queer reality.
You can follow BINK and see more of their work on their Instagram; @mediumicedlattehaver.