A cloudy morning in London. Another day, another photoshoot. Tom Van Dorpe never stops following his everyday busy work schedule as he represents one of today’s biggest names in the industry. What’s his biggest asset? Fashion & Style
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ABOUT TOM
JACQUES BURGA: How are you today?
TOM VAN DORPE: Good! Back to work!
JACQUES BURGA: How did you started in the Fashion industry? were you always involved in this industry?
TOM VAN DORPE: First, I was at the art school and I was more focus in sculptural things and paintings but then at school I realized that it was jst not enough for me and it was always clear that I was should be in fashion.
My art teachers always told me like all you always think about is fashion. It was complicated because I was never interested in being a designer so I wanted to be in fashion without being a designer. Then i moved to Paris and it work out.
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JACQUES BURGA: How difficult is to get into the “real” industry?
TOM VAN DORPE: The first thing I did was model scouting. When I finished my art school I didn’t know what to do. I met a lot of models and that was how I started to have more contacts .
After one year of scouting I realized I wanted to do more, so the model agency told me that I should be an stylist. So I went to Paris, then to New York and there was were everything started.
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JACQUES BURGA: How would you describe your personal style and the style you put on your client?
TOM VAN DORPE: My personal style is kind of classic and traditional, I have never been an extravagant person. Maybe in my young years I was more experimental but as soon as you start been considering yourself as a profesional, you start to change. I like very different things. I have different friends, I go to different places: I never saw myself at one specific group or one specific style.
One day I want to do something very edgy and next day I want to do something very sophisticated. My personal style is keeping it clean, even if it is a piece with a crazy concept, I keep it clean. Everyone has a different style. People think, for this career, that you need to have your own personal style but for me I prefer to keep me more open and try different things.
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JACQUES BURGA: Why did you choose STYLING?
TOM VAN DORPE: I didn’t know I was going to be an stylist, it just came to me. I went to Paris to figure it out. I never think of what I wanted to be, at the beginning I didn’t expect all these things. I was just working , then I went to New York to an interview inV Magazine.
I didn’t have any bigger portfolio, I just knew a lot about fashion. I was still young. I was 24 year old, but I had a lot of different experiences, I don’t know what do they saw on me, they contact with me after months. The most important thing to me was to have a great time. At the beginning I didn’t expect all these things.
ABOUT FASHION
JACQUES BURGA: How do you find fashion these days? Has it changed from before?
TOM VAN DORPE: I think it’s changing and it’s a good thing because the world is changing itself too. There is new people, new generations that are super strong. In the past, designers and magazines ruled fashion and they decided what was great and what wasn’t. Now everyone has a phone, everyone has Instagram and above all, everyone has their own opinion.
People can now decide by themselves. People is touched for real and now everyone is more connected, specially young people.
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JACQUES BURGA: What do you think about designers that are also stylists?
TOM VAN DORPE: I definitely understand, I think there are a lot of designers that think immediately on the silhouette and are already very aware on whats happening, and I also think most designers are very concerned about fit, about fabrics.
So, it depends in every personality but I feel that is already so much work to do by your own, you have to finish your collection and everything. That’s why, I think its nice for designers to have and outsider view. From my experience I think the people that choose to be just one are the best at it. When I started, I also wanted to do a hundred things but, now I am happy to have choose one thing and stick to it.
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JACQUES BURGA: Have you thought about designing?
TOM VAN DORPE: I would like to get something into the market, I already have a couple ideas. I think there are a lot of things from my experience and from travelling , I travel a lot, because of that I get a lot of ideas. I wouldn’t like to be a designer because, I think that knowing about fashion doesn’t make you a designer. Our job is to help people to get there, is more a social job. Design is more a technical job and technically i’m not the best.
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ABOUT INSPIRING
JACQUES BURGA: What is your main goal with DVP?
TOM VAN DORPE: I had just stablished myself with a very accomplished mindset, now I just want to keep doing what I do right now, that would be the best thing for me, I feel very comfortable. For me fashion means to have fun.
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JACQUES BURGA: What would you tell the younger generations? Is age important?
TOM VAN DORPE: When I started there was just one way to start and it was to learn from people that was already in the industry. Now, people can establish on their own. But I would say that it is important to learn from people that have experience. Sometimes, they think they know everything and sometimes you don’t have to be like a star immediately, you have to take your time and learn from others and make mistakes, without put everything out there so quickly.
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PING PONG QUESTIONS
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JACQUES BURGA: Favorite FW1718 collection
TOM VAN DORPE: Prada
JACQUES BURGA: Favorite couture piece
TOM VAN DORPE: Dior
JACQUES BURGA: Favorite supermodel
TOM VAN DORPE: 90s Angela Lindvall
JACQUES BURGA: Favorite new face
TOM VAN DORPE: Kris Grikaite