Photo Ilja Bouw You see the most fabulous-looking people and the coolest outfits around the Wageningen campus. In this feature, we shine the spotlight on one of them every two weeks. This time, Alejandro Thérèse Navarro (29), a researcher at Plant Breeding
‘I like to take a garment that’s out of the ordinary, and build the rest of my outfit around it. I have a great collection of bowling shirts and Hawaiian shirts that sometimes make me look like a 1980s dad on holiday. They’re colourful, funky and sometimes a little campy. I combine a statement piece with more work-appropriate clothing. For work, I want to look presentable but I don’t want to look exactly like the rest. So this is a great solution for me.
For a long time, I struggled with feeling like I did not fit in. I was always a little different. That’s partly why I now dress the way I do. I learned to accept what makes me unique, and to be more openly out there, which I do partly through my style. I teach and supervise here at WUR too, and I think in this way I can also show the people I teach and supervise that you don’t always have to conform to the norms for a ‘corporate’ image. I get my unique items of clothing from second-hand stores, where you can find items that aren’t extremely basic. This shirt is from a small vintage store in Utrecht which has its own rack of strange shirts – perfect for me. Sometimes the shirt looks ridiculous at first glance, but it’s a bit like a game for me. It’s like dressing up: how can I create an outfit with this? I think in the end it’s always about finding a signature piece you can work with.’
