ROY TREUR WANTS TO MAKE FASHION WEARABLE AGAIN
The 21-year-old emerging fashion designer is already gaining traction on TikTok, and now he’s looking to take over the world.
Written By: Brooke Frischer
In December 2020, the Netherlands announced its strictest lockdown in history due to COVID-19. Nationwide, Dutch people attempted to grapple with their new realities. One 21-year-old Amsterdam native made a decision to let the lockdown inspire rather than depress.
When Roy Treur was 16, he knew he liked to dress differently than those around him and began exploring ways he could pursue a career in fashion. Feeling that fashion school was not creative enough, Treur decided to ignore institutional expectations and teach himself design.
In 2017, Roy and a friend created the Instagram account @culturfits, where the pair posted about trending outfits and fashion-related topics.
“We had the idea to start a clothing brand…but we didn’t have the connections or the reach [to do that]. So, we wanted to create our own reach.” The page has amassed over 450 thousand followers to date.
Treur officially began his fashion design journey in quarantine, creating pieces inspired by objects and natural materials that surrounded him in everyday life.
Treur wearing his own take on a puffer jacket, inspired by the texture of rocks and tree-trunks. (Source: Roy Treur/Instagram)
“I just try to get some inspiration from everything. I also don’t really look on Instagram or follow any other designers because I feel like when I do that, I will just create items that already exist. I want to create something that hasn’t been done.”
Last January, Roy posted a TikTok video explaining the inspiration behind some of his designs, which has received over 1.3 million views. In the video’s comments, an overwhelming number of users are already asking where they can buy Treur’s designs.
Another aspect of Treur’s design mentality is practicality. “If you create something that looks good, why not make it useful as well?”
Treur models his water-resistant trousers, seen left, and backpack vest, seen right.
(Source: Roy Treur/Tiktok)
Treur has also designed water-resistant trousers and a vest that doubles as a backpack. “I had a problem wearing my backpack over my puffer vest, and I thought, ‘Okay, solve this problem.’”
When Treur launches his namesake label, “Roy Michael,” this spring, he hopes to emphasize his belief that fashion should be wearable and comfortable. “I try to create different clothes, but not too different that it’s just a fashion show item.”
With his distinctive vision and mission to make wearable art, Roy Michael Treur is transcending the boundaries of high fashion.
