Sophia Marais Ostervold

I grew up competing and participating in many extreme water sports, one of them being Sailing Racing. In extreme water sports, there is always a sense of fatality to them. When it gets rough at sea, you literally feel as if you are in God’s hands. Often, people on land think about their dear ones at sea, which is why, in many cities along the coastline around the world, you will find boats hanging in the churches. This led me to think of this interesting combination between religion and these extreme water sports. This idea is what I wanted to express through my collection: on one side—my passion for the sports, the technicality of it, the extreme part of it. On the other hand, the hallowed and religious side. Another important aspect for me, being a competitive sailor wearing sailing clothes, is understanding how little female-centered the type of clothing is. Of course, sailing clothes have to be functional, but I feel as if that is not a reason why sailing gear should be so masculine. Therefore, with this collection I would like to provide a much more feminine approach. The important part of this concept for me is to design a collection that makes my passion more fashionable—one that doesn’t deny femininity in these extreme situations. This collection’s main idea is combining offshore sailing heavy-duty racing gear with Gothic architecture: “GOTHIC SAILORS” rigging.