Richard Roelofse – Fashion Design

Fashion Design
And Strategy

"I am fascinated by the concept of modernity: change, renewal, and reinvention. That is why I am passionate about fashion.

Richard Roelofse

Welcome to my website!

People ask me regularly about my motivations for becoming a fashion designer. Although this question is simple, I must go back to the start of my life to explain it adequately.

My birth mother was from South Korea, and my birth father was an American of African descent. Then, in the early 1970s, a Dutch married couple adopted me, and I relocated to The Netherlands. I got a Dutch nationality and a Dutch name and grew up in an affluent town in the north of the country, which became my home.

My Caucasian-Dutch adoptive parents raised me as an ordinary Dutch boy, and I grew up without any prejudices or discrimination. Yet, despite all this, I felt I didn't belong to a group and didn't know to which one I wanted to belong. So in my search for belonging and becoming part of a fitting social circle, I experimented with different groups. I learned then as a young boy that each group had unique social rules and specific dress codes. In retrospect, my fascination with target groups, dress behaviour and fashion started then. This fascination has guided me throughout my career; it gives me energy and keeps me on point in my work as a Fashion Designer and Fashion Design Strategist.

ABOUT

My name is Richard Roelofse. I am a Freelance Fashion Designer & Fashion Design Strategist from The Netherlands. For over 28 years, I have worked for leading international fashion brands, sports brands and fashion retailers such as Zara, Jack & Jones, Urban Outfitters, K-Swiss, O’Neill, Ferrari, Wrangler and Peak. I have designed for my clients, coordinated top-to-toe menswear and womenswear collections, and established new clothing lines and fashion brands from the bottom up.

I design and establish menswear and womenswear collections in a great variety of fashion styles, and I’m experienced working for many sales territories, including Europe, Asia, Russia, The Middle East, Australia and North America. In addition, I have extensive experience developing clothing collections at clothing manufacturers worldwide, including Italy, Portugal, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Educations And Internships

At 'The Technical School For Fashion' in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, I learned about pattern cutting, tailoring and clothing making on an industrial scale at an early age. After receiving my diploma in 1989, I studied fashion design at ArtEZ, University for the Arts in Arnhem, The Netherlands. A vital part of this Bachelor’s study was an internship at a renowned fashion company. I decided to do two internships, one focussed on creativity and the other on commerciality. The creative internship was at the design studio of Belgian fashion designer Walter Van Beirendonck, and the commercial one was at the design department of Dutch fashion retailer WE Fashion. In 1994, I graduated from ArtEZ and received my Bachelor’s degree.

Richard Roelofse | Fashion Show O'Neill Europe (2019)

WHAT I CAN DO FOR YOU

Whether you are a high-level manager of a large fashion company or an aspiring fashion entrepreneur, I can help you to find the sweet spot between commerce and creativity. Once I understand your objectives, I can advise you on what you need to do in order to get there. My methodology is consumer-centric, target group-focused, commercially driven and based on 28-plus years of industry experience.

Next to helping you make strategic decisions, I can help you to create menswear and womenswear collections from A-Z. My services include consultancy, creative direction, clothing design and pre-production development.

Strategic Services

I help leading fashion brands reach their commercial targets and help aspiring fashion entrepreneurs create a commercial foundation for a profitable fashion business. In order to be able to help you, I need to understand your objectives and motivations. Then, after understanding your goals, I can advise on what you need to do and how to achieve your targets.

Clothing Design

I conceptualize, design, and develop complete top-to-toe clothing collections for men and women. My clothing design process works as follows. First, I will make rudimentary digital design drawings of the silhouettes of the garments, including the main details such as pockets and cut lines. These first sketches are black-and-white line drawings of only the fronts of the designs. That said, I do draw the backside during this stage if a garment has a prominent design feature on the back. After I have finished the line drawings, I’ll discuss them and make adjustments when needed. Then I’ll colour the black-and-white line drawings and add more details. Again, once done, I will discuss these drawings and make adjustments if needed. Finally, after approval of the fronts of the garments, I’ll draw the backs and discuss them for final approval.

Creative Direction

Fashion is all about taste and timing; therefore, it's crucial that you use the right trends and get your timing right. Launching trend products too soon or too late will negatively affect commercial outcomes. I specialize in recognizing emerging trends and can predict the course of trends. However, in order to succeed commercially, more than recognizing emerging trends is required; therefore, I also align trends with commercial goals and the target audience's needs. My creative direction services include Brand Positioning Strategies, Brand DNA Stories, and Collection and Marketing Themes.

Portfolio

O'NEILL

California Sports Club - SS21