Photo Ilja Bouwknecht You see the most fabulous looking people and the coolest outfits on the Wageningen campus. We shine the spotlight on them here. This time, Margaréta Banas (25), a Master’s student of Resilient Farming and Food Systems.
‘How nice that you’ve noticed my clothes: not many people realize how long it takes to make them. The details on this blouse took me hours. I started making my own clothes when I was about 13. At first, I was primarily interested in ‘goth’ fashion, which has a lot of common with Victorian and Edwardian styles. I come from Slovakia and I’ve inherited traditional costumes from my grandmother, which I only wear on special occasions. But I have been influenced by that style, which is a bit like the Victorian and Edwardian styles. Puffed sleeves, a narrow waist, wide skirts. If I wake up thinking, ‘Today I want to have a great day’, I put on a long skirt. I made this blouse and waistcoat myself, but I bought the skirt second-hand.
I wear all my clothes until they’re completely worn out. I’ve even got clothes I’ve had since I was a teenager. I think it’s important to mend clothes and I’m doing a lot of visible mending at the moment – which is mending clothes in a visible and decorative way. Over the years I’ve come to like natural materials more, and I use them when I make clothes myself. I don’t want to spend money on fast fashion. By making my own clothes, I’m self-sufficient in that area. And I like being able to put my creativity into it and develop my own style. You can’t find clothes like these in the shops.’
