I am Annicke Shireen, Fashion- and Costume designer, and I have started doing this work out of pure passion for handmade clothing. I have always had an affinity with dress in folklore, avant-garde and (dark) fairytales. Furthermore I am very passionate about colours and details, as well as fabric and other high-quality materials. I love to use my knowledge of the tailor’s craft to realise the perfect custom made product, and I work as a freelance designer and tailor for consumers as well as some companies. (Get Off The Road films, Knip Mode magazine and Games ’n Stuff for example).
I graduated as a fashion designer at the Utrecht School of Arts (HKU) in August 2011 and founded Folktailor in September 2011. In November 2011 I won the Rabobank Startop competition, a buisiness programm and competition for starting creative entrepeneurs. Since then, I started my business and have kept myself quite busy with custom commissions, creative projects and a ready-to-wear collection called Folktailor, which I enthusiastically sold on Castlefest, Keltfest and Fantasiafest. Since January 2013, I have been focusing mainly on custom projects because I find this the most inspiring.
The essence of my work is designing and crafting for special occasions such as bridal wear and high quality (theatrical) costumes, but i also design custom fabric as well as confection and I make tutorial’s and creative DIY’s. I love designing items and complete outfits especially to the customer’s wishes and fitted to their measurements most. The style of the designs that I adopt is a mix of different cultures and modern and/or historical influences. I never use standard patterns – I make my own. They are all designed and drawn in my workshop. Last but not least, I prefer to work with sustainable materials, whenever possible.
If you’d like to have something made especially for you, it is possible to place a custom order. Custom commissions will take some time to produce, but these items are 100% handmade and therefore completely original. Each outfit is unique; it will be designed according to your wishes. If you have a commission for me, please send an email (-annickeshireen (at) gmail (dot) com) or contact me via Facebook (-folktailor) or LinkedIn (-Annicke Shireen).
Kind regards,
Annicke