TEARS. Made in Heerlen

Naud says at the large table in the office above his studio at 40 Geleen Street:
"Heerlen has shaped me. In my teenage years, I was looking for a way to express myself. I was introduced to the graffiti culture, the hip-hop scene and other scenes in Heerlen. The free expression and friendships I gained in these communities inspired me, although I never became part of them. That's important to me: I want to make things that transcend boundaries."

Naud says he has always been creative. "I was always drawing on everything. And I dressed differently than 'normal.'" He decided to do something with that. "During my education at Sint Lucas College in Boxtel, the ball started rolling and my brand TEARS was born. The collection started with T-shirts but now consists of pants, shoes, hoodies, shirts, jackets, even socks. Not every design caught on; my friends would walk in those," Naud laughs. "The success came when I started styling artists. At first these were fairly underground artists, but later famous names like Joost Klein, Ronnie Flex, Ray Fuego and S10 also chose my clothes. Of course it's sick when you get commissions from such artists. Still, for me my own work and what I want to say myself always comes first. So I am happy that my clothes are now being worn much more widely. That's just as well, I also make clothes for everyone." 

Anti-classification

For Naud, it's all about breaking down boxes. "Just because someone dresses, thinks or acts differently than you, doesn't mean they can't teach you anything. Our generation is fortunately already further along in this than the previous one, but there is still much to be gained. It is easy to label something and then ignore it, but there is no growth in that attitude. Real growth starts with the conversation, with perspective. Only then will you discover that your initial judgment is often wrong. Especially in times of outside noise and chaos, it is important that we continue to seek each other out. Nothing is unambiguous, everything has multiple sides. Your biggest enemy? As far as I'm concerned, that's your own ego."

Heerlen as home base

Naud concludes, "People are sometimes surprised that I work from Heerlen. Of course, we are not in the center of the action here but there is a nice vibe here. And a lot is possible in Heerlen, as long as you communicate well beforehand. In the summer we throw open the doors and put a DJ set on the square in front of the store and chill with a club of friends. People in town are always happy when something is going on. Also, festivals like BOOCH? and The Notorious IBE are super cool and take the whole city. The community here is cool. But there are also other advantages to doing business in Heerlen. It is less expensive here than in the Randstad, for example. That's nice because the pressure to stay ahead of developments in fashion is great enough. Because fashion changes so quickly, you have to change with it. So rather be ahead of changes. That's the challenge in my profession. Who knows what the future holds. I can see myself doing residencies in cities like Paris or Milan. But I think I will always come back to Heerlen. This is and will always be my base."