Likeme(N) by Gertjan van der Linden

Gertjan van der Linden is a Dutch designer based in Noord-Brabant, in the South of the Netherlands. He launched his own label, Likeme(N) in 2011. Society and the interactions between individuals, groups and fashion are the main inspirations behind his work. At the FASHIONCLASH Fashion Shows, he will be presenting Inc(RED)iblE, a collection focusing on pointless violence in society. 

Hey Gertjan! Please introduce yourself. Who are you? Where do you come from? What is your field of specialization? 

I, Gertjan van der Linden, graduated from the Utrecht School of the Arts (HKU) in 2011 with a bachelor’s in fashion design. During those years, I focused on the relation between human identity and society. I observe the interactions of groups versus individuals, personal style, and the sign system of fashion. I created my own label, Likeme(N) in 2011. The aim of the label is to bring attention on the problems that society faces, by developing and realizing concepts that matter. All the concepts have a common thread: individuality, identity, nostalgia, and authenticity. Within those, a dark-edge is visible as well as a healthy dose of humour. My mission is to inspire society with my collections, so that people can be a part of it. At the same time, I try to warn them by showing what the “problems” are in society nowadays. I do this by elaborating on themes such as individuality, identity and nostalgia. 

“Social End-tity” by Likeme(N) Gertjan van der Linden

Collage Inspiration Damage
Photographer Gertjan van der Linden

1. Please introduce yourself to our readers. (Who are you, where do you come from and what is your field of specialization?) 

I am Likeme(N) by Gertjan van der Linden, I’m 23 and I live in a town called Drunen in the south of the Netherlands. I studied Fashion Design and graduated in 2011 from the HKU, Utrecht. My field of specialization is making warning-concepts, as I like to call it myself. 

I try to preserve what’s left of the society, by warning them about several issues and by this giving the society the message to be on guard. Most of the time, I’m trying to do this by creating a combination of bitter truth and humor. Furthermore, I like to make textured designs and fashion illustration.