Dutch designers Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh, AKA Botter, are making gender fluid clothing channeling the culture of the Caribbean<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":60958,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[10037,9279,10038,3905,10039,9280,4121,5734,10040,10041,5447],"class_list":["post-60951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fashion","tag-amsterdam-fashion-week","tag-botter","tag-botter-and-herrebrugh","tag-culture","tag-gender-fluid","tag-lisi-herrebrugh","tag-naomi-campbell","tag-rushemy-botter","tag-sampha","tag-shell","tag-young-thug"],"acf":{"legacy":false,"main_category":false,"subtitle":"Dutch designers Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh are producing multi-sensory experiences from their clothes to the catwalk.","hero":{"video":false,"image":false,"header_color":"black","overlay_color":"","overlay_text_color":"black"},"teasers":{"video":false,"image":false,"width":"4","proportion":"default"},"related_articles":"","next_article":"","content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":false,"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
BOTTER is a new label from the Netherlands producing multi-sensory experiences through clothes and shows. Designs eschew the current catwalk trend for streetwear (\u201cIt’s a bit superficial and there is no depth in it, no feeling,\u201d says Botter) The brand has been a growing movement since Rushemy began studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp, and teamed up with Lisi who was then interning at Viktor&Rolf in Amsterdam. Their work takes a leaf from the playbook of John Galliano. \u201cIn the early years, [his] shows were spectacular, insane, they were like story-telling. That’s what I\u2019m missing. Nobody is taking fucking risks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Botter and Herrebrugh take risks. A prime example is \u201cFish or Fight\u201d, BOTTER\u2019s debut collection showcased at Amsterdam Fashion Week in July. Featuring androgynous men of colour models wearing designs adorned with fluorescent netting, Shell logos minus the \u2018S\u2019, plastic bags and inflatable toys, the show was presented alongside traditional Caribbean dishes Botter made with friends. This wasn\u2019t simply a gesture of excess, however, but an intentional reference to the designers\u2019 heritage. Botter traces his own family back to Cura\u00e7ao, the Dutch Caribbean island, while Herrebrugh is of Dominican descent. Thus, the culture of this region isn\u2019t merely a motif in their work, but intrinsic to it.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":false,"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
\u201cThe culture is really rich and our label is based on that,\u201d Botter explains, discussing a visit to Herrebrugh\u2019s mother in Dominican Republic. \u201c[While there], I saw a similar culture to the one in Cura\u00e7ao and that’s where I got my inspiration.\u201d Other details in \u201cFish or Fight\u201d reveal this influence. The plastic bag scarves, for instance, are emblems for those found polluting the ocean, affecting the livelihoods of local people involved who rely on fishing, while the floral prints are yet more personal nods. \u201cWhen I think of floral prints, I think of my grandma’s table back on Cura\u00e7ao,\u201d says Botter. \u201cShe lays down a tablecloth and over these floral prints the whole family is coming together to eat, to tell stories and laugh.” Elegance is at the heart of BOTTER. The label\u2019s eponymous designer claims it as the frame through which he views clothing, hence his indifference to streetwear, and his preference for the \u201csharp lines of made to measure suits.\u201d Those sharp lines are executed by Lisi who provides the technical expertise. While the two of them design together, Rushemy is responsible for sketching out their imagination and dealing with colour choice. This approach also inform\u2019s the label\u2019s emphasis on gender fluidity, both in terms of the beautifully made-up male models and the actual garments themselves. \u201cPeople from the Caribbean can be seen as really masculine but often at heart they are really feminine,\u201d continues Botter. \u201cThey wax their brows, they polish their nails. The way they dress, the way they act, the way they stand is just elegant.\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":false,"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"
Having only just entered the industry, the future is looking bright for the brand. Beyond collaborations and work with superstars such as Naomi Campbell, Young Thug and Sampha, Herrebrugh mentions that two stores have just bought their collection and decided to stock it as womenswear. Despite conflicting with her original idea for the range, the designer is nevertheless elated. \u201cWe just look at the lines and the cut and don\u2019t mind if it\u2019s [sold as] men or womenswear,\u201d she says. And what of their next project? The duo are tight lipped, but if current form is anything to go by, expect more of the same with a little twist.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"100","images_to_show":"1","caption":"Taken from our current issue, SLEEK 56"}}],"hero_title":"2018 Is The Year of BOTTER: Gender Fluid Clothing Rooted in Caribbean Culture","facebook_image":false},"yoast_head":"\n