At 23, Isabella Kramer has long understood fashion as more than clothing. Born in Amsterdam, she grew up in an environment where creativity was encouraged through both school and personal interests. Dance, music, film and visual art all played a role in shaping how she sees the world. Yet it was fashion that became her most immediate language. “For me, fashion was always a way to express myself,” shesays. “To show my presence without using words.”
Although she once considered costume design, drawn to theatre and performance, she ultimately chose the Willem de Kooning Academy for its openness. “It felt less fixed, less narrow,” she explains. “Even now, my work still sits somewhere between costume and wearable design. I like that tension.”
Fragmented Realities
That sense of in-between spaces now defines her graduation collection. Titled around the idea of “fragmented realities”, the project explores how identity and perception are shaped in an age dominated bydigital imagery and constant information flow.
The starting point came from an unexpected source. “I saw a failed panorama photo,” she recalls. “Everything was slightly off, fragmented, and it just clicked. That’s what it feels like to exist right now.” Fromthere, the concept expanded into a broader reflection on how social media influences the way we see ourselves and others. “You take in so much information every day that nothing really lands anymore,” sheexplains. “Everything stays on the surface.”
Her designs translate this feeling into garments that shift between dimensions. Some pieces appear flat from one angle and sculptural from another, while others combine photographic prints with physicalfabric in disorienting ways. “I like the idea that you can ‘wear’ an identity,” she says. “Like on social media, where you can present a version of yourself and then take it off again.”
The collection is visually striking, built around bold, almost artificial colours such as turquoise, mint green, coral and pink. Shiny, reflective materials enhance the sense of distortion. “I want it to feel a bit glitchy,” she notes. “Like something isn’t quite right.”
Between Online and Offline Selves
The project is not only conceptual but deeply personal. Isabella openly reflects on her own relationship with social media and the tension it creates. “I often feel like I’m not fully present anywhere,” she says. “Not online, but also not in real life.”
Her online presence, she explains, tends to show a curated version of herself. “But that’s just one side. It’s a performed version.” At the same time, she acknowledges the difficulty of stepping away entirely. “Every week I think: I should just get a Nokia and stop,” she laughs. “But I also need it. To share my work, to connect, to stay in touch.” This contradiction sits at the heart of her collection. It is both a critiqueand an acknowledgement of the digital world she inhabits. “I want to make people aware of how much it affects us,” she says. “How it changes the way we connect, how we see ourselves.”
Process as Experiment
In the studio, Isabella’s process reflects the fluidity of her concept. She works across multiple outfits simultaneously, allowing ideas to evolve rather than locking them into fixed outcomes. “I like to keep thingsopen,” she explains. “It’s a bit uncertain, but that also makes it exciting.” Her workflow moves between research, collage, sketching and hands-on experimentation. After gathering visual references, shecreates compositions that eventually translate into garments. “I start with collages, then move to collaging and draping on the body, and then to fabric on a mannequin,” she says. “Once I have a cleardirection, I make a toile, and even then things still change.”
At the moment, she is deep in production, spending long days in the fabric station. Three of the five looks are nearing completion, while the remaining pieces are still evolving. “Time is definitely the biggestchallenge,” she admits. “Five full outfits is a lot.” Alongside the making process, she is also preparing prints through sublimation and planning a photoshoot in collaboration with fellow students. “I want thework to be documented properly,” she says. “That’s almost as important as the show itself.”
Decision-making and uncertainty
Like many graduation projects, Isabella’s journey has been shaped by constant decision-making and uncertainty. “I find it hard to make choices,” she admits. “I like to keep options open.” Feedback from tutors and peers plays an important role, but so does learning to trust her own instincts. “There’s so much freedom here,” she says. “You have to decide everything yourself. That’s exciting, but also difficult.”Emotionally, the process is a mix of excitement and pressure. “I’m really enjoying it,” she says. “But I’m also nervous about everything that still needs to be done.” The scale of the project adds to that feeling. “It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever made. I want to be proud of it.”
Growing into a Practice
Looking back at her time at the academy, Isabella sees a clear continuity in her work. Early projects already contained elements that she continues to explore today, including humour, exaggeration and a playful approach to the body. “I like adding a bit of a wink,” she says. “Something unexpected.”
Technically, she has developed a much stronger understanding of materials and construction, while conceptually she has refined her ability to translate ideas into form. “I’ve learned to pay attention to detail,” she reflects. “And to really think about what I’m making and why.”
Perhaps more importantly, she has found a way of working that feels authentic to her. One that moves between fashion, image and performance, without needing to fully belong to one category.
Looking Ahead
As graduation approaches, Isabella is already thinking about what comes next. She is considering further study, possibly at institutions such as the Institut Français de la Mode in Paris or in Milan, but remainsopen to where the work might take her. In the meantime, her focus is on completing the collection and presenting it in a way that captures its full potential. “If the photoshoot works, that would mean a lot,” she says. “To really capture the pieces and preserve them.” She also hopes to continue working in a space where concept and image come together, whether through editorials, performances or collaborations. “I just want to keep making,” she says. “Working with materials, with prints, with ideas.”
Isabella’s graduation project is about navigating a world where reality feels increasingly unstable and constructed. It does not offer a clear solution, but rather creates space for reflection. As she puts it herself, “I hope people recognise something in it. Maybe even see a bit of themselves.” And perhaps that is where the strength of her work lies. Not in providing answers, but in making visible a shared experience that is often difficult to articulate.
