I am Tess
Hoi, my name is Tess.
I come from Marken, in North Holland. It’s where I was born and where I feel at home. No matter how hard I’ve tried to run away, tear myself free to escape Marken’s terrifyingly magnetic pull and explore the wider world, this former island just won’t let me go. It’s where I learned to pick myself up again, and where I can slip back into the warm embrace of the local community. It’s also where I learned that our magnificent traditional dress is a part of who we are, and therefore also of who I am.
Clothes with a heart that come from the heart.
The regional costumes of the Netherlands are called streek-en klederdracht. We no longer wear them everyday, but to some of us they are more than clothes.
They carry with them our history and legacy from our grandparents and beyond. Blood, sweat and tears have been poured as they were lovingly crafted. Needles were broken and fingers worked numb. Above all, these are clothes that tell the story of unique communities.
Below sea level
For centuries, the Dutch have adapted to a flood-prone landscape with resilience and ingenuity.
Our ancestors created a distinctive culture deeply connected to the sea, establishing polders, building dikes, and creating intricate canal systems. In the 1930s, the Afsluitdijk dam was constructed, a major feat that shields Dutch shores and ensures our feet stay dry.
There is something magical about wearing traditional clothes.
It feels like I’ve been lifted out of my own shoes and dropped into the clogs of my ancestors, ancestors I’ve never known. They may be distant in time, but these traditional ways of dressing bring them near.
Whenever traditional clothes gradually begin to take shape on my body, layer by layer, pin by pin, one thing becomes crystal clear: I’m not wearing these clothes, they are wearing me.
It’s tangible evidence that you remain connected.
As young adults in the 21st century, with the world at our feet, we are entering a time when we no longer have time. For me, however, wearing traditional clothes is a tangible symbol of a place where you’re always welcomed, loved, at home.
I believe it is the mission of future generations to look at traditional dress with new eyes.
We need to make sure that the stories of our heritage do not disappear into oblivion, but rather become part of who we are in this time of burning ambition.
Let us look at our traditional dress with a fresh pair of eyes so that we may create new styles with new meanings.
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