6 Zoé Hermsen | Lightning Factory
January 2, 2012
Netherlands based fashion blogger Zoé Hermsen, referred to more commonly as Lightning Factory, is known for her minimalist personal style and photography. Now studying image and media technology and hoping to merge it with her love of fashion, Zoé takes a few moments over New Year to talk to me about fashion, art and the ups and downs of blogging.
If your blog and your style were a book, and you had to write a blurb - how would you describe it?
I always have a couple of words prepared for questions like this one, in short simple; monochrome (i'm mainly wearing black white and grey, sometimes some nude and blue); twist (the Zoe twist haha, this can be a detail or garment, etc. which makes the outfit really zoe and less plain! that's what makes it a bit different); and boyish (I'm not really into heels and dresses although sometimes I do wear heels and i've got some skirts I like to wear but I don't consider myself 'girly'). I think that's me (essentially) but i'm probably forgetting some words!
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What was the catalyst to starting your blog and how do you feel your style has changed since the beginning?
About 3 years ago I started exploring the blogger world and I started a couple of blogs myself as well. But I was never able to keep my blog 'alive'. Serious lack of posts. That's how a couple of my blogs were slowly dying after 5 posts. I was convinced I couldn't run a blog since I simply didn't had the drive to post frequently. That's when I chose to have a more approachable blog. At least for me - tumblr. It's easy to post pictures and stay active on tumblr. After a while I found myself being a bit to active on tumblr and that's when I knew I could also have a 'normal blog'. And i'm still posting! I have to admit, not always as frequent as I would like to but i'm trying to post as frequently as possible.
A week ago I decided to put all my lookbook pictures in one photoshop document. Just because I wanted to see how much I changed in 2 years. And i changed a lot! At first I didn't think I changed, but when I saw the pictures I saw I had. I was more grunge and all black for a while, but I think (essentially) my take on fashion hasn't changed that much. I'm still me and just like trends, I change. But essentially i'm the same!
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What is the favourite, most loved piece of clothing in your wardrobe?
Hmm that's hard to answer, since I have a new favorite piece every couple of months which I wear a lot until it bores me and I find a new one! But I think my blue sneaker have been my favorite shoes for a while now. I never really was a sneaker person until I found them in a vintage shop 2 years ago. And since then i've been wearing them a lot, they are my trademark. But I think I need to find something new that people will automatically link to me since a lot of bloggers are beginning to wear the same sort of sneakers.
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If you could chose any item in the world to own, limitless of price, what would it be?
I'm having a really hard time making decisions when it comes to... basically everything! And I can basically chose out of... everything in this question. But! I find myself wanting to travel a lot lately. I've been 'traveling' through England last summer and for the past 2 months I really feel like going back, or just to visit unknown cities. It almost feels like a homesick feeling.
I really really love England, and i'd like to move to England when I finished school. But if I could choose right now I would like to have a ticket that will bring me all over Europe. I want to go back to the UK, and i'd like to go to Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Belgium, and a lot more countries! Especially in the summer time.
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Out of anyone throughout history, who would you love to be a follower of your blog?
First I was thinking about icon's in fashion or art like Andy Warhol, and I would hope that he would notice me and see potential. But I changed that. Of course I want to be noticed by creative icons and masterminds , but i'm still a teenage girl (I can only use this excuse for two more months now, since my birthday is in February) and i'm really obsessed... let's call it interested in John Lennon and if he could only follow my blog I would be really happy that he saw me/my blog and found me/my blog interesting as well! At least interesting enough to push the follow button!
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What takes you to cloud nine?
I get really happy when I use my creativity and make something beautiful. I'm at art school and that helps me to actually produce things. Since i'm more of a thinker, all the ideas usually stay in my head. I'm having trouble showing what I can do. On my blog as well, i'm only posting outfits at the moment, which I think is pretty boring but people keep following. I don't really get that sometimes, but I really want to show more of 'me' instead of only outfits (which is also a part of me of course) and not only on my blog but in general. I'm working on it! That's what really makes me happy.
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In a dream world, where do you see yourself in the future?
A lot of people ask me that since I did one year of fashion studies, and i'm now studying image and media technology which is basically making short movies. And i'm doing a lot of fashion things next to school as well but I don't know how I want to mix those two since sewing and designing clothes is different from making movies. But it's all about designing in the end, and I hope to find a way to express myself in film and fashion. Until then I just keep doing what I like and making things that i think are beautiful.
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Style tip for 2012?
I should say, there is a lot going on in fashion trends right now. And that gives us the opportunity to make choices and mix different or unexpected clothes, patterns, colors, etc. It's all about experiment and unexpected mixing and matching. Use your lazy Sunday for a mirror session and keep trying to mix and match different clothes together. You don't need new clothes, you do need some creative thinking to make the clothes you already have look like they are new!
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