Which course do you follow at Willem de Kooning
Academy?
I study Fashion Design, which is quite new to me. I
started as a Lifestyle & Design student but decided to
transfer to Fashion Design. A choice that I’m still very
happy with.
Interview with Sharita Karsten,
employee at Ace & Tate, fashion
student at willem de kooning.
What inspired you to start working for Ace & Tate?
When I first came in touch with Ace & Tate the first
thing I said was: “this is something where I would like
to work”. I immediately fell in love with the glasses.
The concept behind it is very strong and very cool. So
when I saw they were going to open a pop-up store in
Rotterdam I directly took a chance and applied for the
job.
How is your education connected with your job at Ace
& Tate?
Ace & Tate is a young and fast growing company; all my
colleagues are young, ambitious and creative human
beings. That’s very inspiring. Besides that, the brand
has a strong vision. They’re really about the here and
now and for a fashion student, it’s exactly what’s nice
to experience up close.
Why did you choose to wear glasses and not contacts?
Must have something to do with fashion...
Of course, I like glasses. It’s like an extra piece of
clothing. Sometimes I fit my outfit to my glasses and
other days my glasses complete and compliment my
outfit.
Do you have different models to combine with
different outfits? And what’s your favorite model?
Sure, I have the Lucca in Crystal, the Nina in Space
Oddity and I just bought new sunglasses: the Turner in
Autumn Leaves. The Nina is my all time favourite. She’s
bright and matches all of my clothes.
What do your glasses say about you as an artist, along
with your personality?
I think glasses say a lot about someone’s personality. I
think mine tell that I must be spontaneous, artistic and
into fashion. But I guess that’s really personal.
Can you tell something about someone else’s
personality through their glasses as well?
Yes, the pair of glasses you’ll get really needs to suit
you. Often, when I help clients to find a pair of glasses I
try to find out as much as possible about the person I’ve
standing in front of me. With glasses it’s important that
it is a perfect fit for your face and won’t change the look
of it. But also that it matches your personality, if you’re
really active and funny you obviously won’t go for a pair
of glasses that make you look dull and serious.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
Good question. For now I mainly try to occupy myself
with exploring materials, creating them or to transform
them. Besides that I like to put a lot of time in my
designs and illustrations and secretly I even like making
patterns and amuse myself with sewing. So there are
a lot of things, honestly I try to make the most out of
my study at Willem de Kooning, and thus know exactly
where I want to be in 2 years from now.
Find yours online at:
www.aceandtate.com
or in one of their stores:
Huidenstraat 20, Amsterdam
Van Woustraat 67, Amsterdam
Lijnbaan 150-B, Rotterdam
Lijnmarkt 2, Utrecht