MOOI KLEED
Category: Apparel
Competitions: Fashion Competition 2025
I make jackets from old wool blankets. These blankets come from a time when things were still made locally. The wool is from Dutch sheep, and the production was Dutch as well. That’s why I choose to focus solely on a Dutch audience: offering a counterpoint to the global extraction of materials from faraway places. One example is the textile factory in Leiden, which produced wool blankets until 1957. Many of the blankets I use are over 70 years old, and still beautiful. I want to show that when you choose quality materials, they stay beautiful for a long time. These blankets were once used for sleeping. But today, they mostly lie unused, people often have one or two still tucked away somewhere. I collect them and combine them to literally give them a new jacket. Some blankets have a stain, or fraying edges, or a hole somewhere. In those cases, I cut around the damage or repair it. These imperfect blankets are actually my favorite, I love restoring their value. I’ve chosen not to use closures like buttons or zippers. These are often made from non-natural materials, and it’s difficult to trace their origin. I also design the jackets in an oversized fit, so they can suit a variety of body types. This means the jacket will still fit if your body changes, whether you gain or lose weight. There are still plenty of blankets to be found. I collect them from thrift stores, online marketplaces like Marktplaats and Vinted, or through word of mouth. But, in contradiction to what this competition emphasizes, my project is not meant for mass production. Natural materials must be gathered with care and patience, so they can thrive rather than be depleted. The jackets of MOOI KLEED are statement pieces. They stand for love of material, love of craftsmanship, and love for one another. In today’s society, we’ve lost touch with where our belongings come from. Fast fashion has made us used to a certain price: one that’s only possible through exploitation. If something costs just a little more than those artificially low prices, people already think it’s too expensive. But there is no machine that rolls out a finished shirt, every piece of clothing is made by hand. Making clothes takes time. And we’ve forgotten that. So I’ve created the following system: I spend 8 hours making a jacket. If someone wants to buy one, I ask 8 times their own hourly wage. In this way, I try to make the labor tangible, to show how long it takes to make something, and how much more we value our own time over someone else’s. Especially someone we’ll never meet or see. With this project, I want to bring humanity back into clothing. Respect for each other, and for craft. I want to make people think. Selling isn’t my main priority. About the title: MOOI KLEED MOOI KLEED is a Dutch title. Mooi means beautiful, but in Dutch it goes beyond appearances: it can also refer to someone’s intentions or character. You might call someone a mooi mens, meaning not just a beautiful person, but a kind or good-hearted one. Kleed is a layered word in Dutch. It can mean a rug, a blanket, or be a shortened form of kleding, which means clothing. It’s also a word you might use when you’re curled up on the couch under a soft throw. Together, MOOI KLEED speaks to beauty in both material and meaning: soft, warm, repurposed fabrics that carry history and care, and the idea of clothing as comfort, protection, and quiet dignity.
