Always challenging the fashion industry - Meet Michael Geertzen

Michael is an AMFI Branding student. Since he is laying focus on sustainability and consciousness in fashion his graduation project evolves around creating a virtual collection for a sportswear brand.

Personal Profile

Name: Michael Geertzen

Direction within AMFI: Fashion & Branding

Doer/thinker: “I think I am absolutely a thinker, maybe sometimes an overthinker, but that comes from the fact that I am also a researcher and I am always exploring new knowledge, so I have a lot to think about. Especially when I am creating concepts, for me it is very important to overthink and see all the options that I can work with.”

Party personality: “I am myself and let myself go with the music. And always turning looks on the dance floor to get the full experience with myself and my friends. Also I love to take pictures to capture the spontaneous moments.”

Favorite party outfit: ‘‘I normally don’t wear much, because I get hot quickly whilst always being on the dancefloor. But my favourite party wear would be more about the feeling you get whilst wearing a specific outfit. It can also be a corset, I always love to wear a corset as well. Ot with a pantalon, plateau boot. It is totally colorful and I apply a lot of makeup.’’

What is your graduation project about?

"I basically created a virtual collection for a sportswear brand since I am very into sustainability and about consciousness in fashion. There has to be a change. And I believe there is no sustainable brand at this moment, who are producing physical clothing, the sustainability is gone in my opinion. So that's why I created the virtual collection.

It is about inclusivity. I found these two amazing 3D designers from Argentina and they created this whole virtual collection and avatars, and I created seven moodboards to brief them how the avatar should look like, what the body type would be and how the collection should be. And I am a sketcher as well, so I drew it on paper how I wanted it and then briefed the designers and they transformed it into a 3D situation.

It will be presented in a fashion film I made during visual culture.

The video is presented by Polysterzine. The concept is inspired by mental health, virtual experience and virtual branding."

Direction: Daphne Simons

Direction and Graphic Design: Noemi Tombeur

DOP: Stella Schumacher

Art Direction: Emma Weissink, Michael Geertzen

Sound Designer: Davide Rella

3D Animation: Veronika Osiopaya

3D Cover Designer: Lacey Liang

Styling: Michael Geertzen

Editing: Daphne Simons, Stella Schumacher

As a branding student, how do you see yourself in the spotlight?

Definitely as someone who can come up with a creative and innovative concept, always challenging myself. Which is always challenging the fashion industry and the values within fashion. So I am definitely a change maker.

What do you think has to change in the fashion industry?

Like I said before, sustainability. A brand can not be sustainable as soon as they produce physically so I think that has to change. Also inclusivity, it is a big part of the industry now, but it can be more inclusive in body types, ethnicities, gender norms.

How can you contribute to this change?

Within my concept, I work with a magazine and with my styling choices and the concepting for the shootings. I am always trying to put an extra layer on it with clothing and styling them for specific brands and the specific concept . So it is the visual translation of my fashion vision.

What is your definition of a party dress?

It is more about a feeling than a dress. So I think when you feel most yourself and you dress how you feel. So it can be totally black, totally colourful, just shorts and a crop top, or a corset. That's a party dress for me.

‘’A brand can not be sustainable as soon as they produce physically so I think that has to change.’’