MCFOOL by Malou Fool

Please introduce yourself: 
I'm Malou Fool. I am 22 years old and I live in Voorburg. Two years ago I graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. Currently I'm busy with setting up my own men’s label. Beside designing and making clothes I also make leather bags for men.

What inspires you in general? 
For my collections I get inspired by collected objects that give me a certain feeling. With that feeling I can make sketches for a new collection. Beside that, I can also get inspiration from people on the street. My interest goes out to people who combine clothes with each other.

Where are you based? 
My studio is based in The Hague next to the highway at the exit Voorburg.





What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country? 
As a young designer it is really hard to start your own label. There are chances but it is difficult.



What place/city do you find inspiring? 
The city New York is inspiring.

What is the concept behind your latest collection?
-Before flying back –
"Before flying back" Is a collection that was born at the flea market. I collected accessories on the flea market in Shanghai up to the flea market near my home. These accessories were for me the most important inspiration for the collection "Before flying back". "Before flying back" refers to the moment before someone baggage and packed boards the plane but also at the moment my collected accessories went along in the direction of my home. Within this collection, I also have inspired myself by military clothing. All the collected accessories come back in my designs.

Describe your collection in three words:
Traveller, functional and second hand objects


What kind of feeling do you want to transfer with your latest collection? 
The feeling that I want to transfer with this collection is the way how we collect objects, bring them home and give them a new life!

Can you tell us something about your visits at the flea market in Shanghai, what is special about this flea market? 
When I visited Shanghai I went to a flea market. It was a big market with a mix of old stuff, handmade work form the local people and fake fashion brands. When I was there I met an old man how was selling old stuff like pilot glasses and so on. When I saw the glasses I certainly get a feeling with this object. That was the starting point of my collection “Before flying back”. After my flight back form China I search for more objects which give me the same feeling as the pilot glasses. After my trip to Shanghai I found an old suitcase, an oil lamp and a pilot cap.

Did you always wanted to work in the field of fashion? 
Yes, since the age of 5 years old I have something with soft and colorful cloth. Until the age of 10 I was always touching a soft synthetic scarf in my hand when I was sucking my thumb. Maybe that is the reason where my sense of cloth comes from. It even went so far with the scarf that there were holes falling in. Then my mother had to buy me a new one otherwise I didn’t sleep. I was also a very creative child, always busy with painting and drawing. I followed drawing lessons and I have combined my secondary school period with lessons at The Royal Academy of Art (KABK) in The Hague. After my secondary school I went to the Willem de Kooning Academy to study Fashion.

Do you have a muse? If yes, who is it and why? 
No

Who is your favorite fashion designer? 
Marc Jacobs.

What is so far your greatest experience in your 'fashion' career? 
That I had the chance to design and make a jacquet blazer and bow tie for Jim Bakkum, a famous Dutch actor and musical star. He has worn it at the première of the movie “Verliefd op Ibiza”.





What is on your music list while your making your collection? 
Sometimes I put on the radio.

What made you smile today? 
That I have finished my jacket today and it looks gorgeous.

What is the latest thing you bought for yourself? 
A perfume

What can we expect from you in the future? 
In the future I want to set up my own menswear label and hope to live on it. One day I hope to show my collection at the Amsterdam Fashion Week!!

For more information:
http://www.mcfool.com/