rebirth.

Project type Avant-garde hair collection

Roles Production, art direction, photography

Client Kinki Kappers

Date 2025

Location Amsterdam

Fashion by Isabell Schulz Atelier

MUA Paul Benjamin

Concept by Sally Dijkman

Three women engaged in a photoshoot or conversation under a large overhead light. The woman in the center wears a yellow, layered dress with petal-like details, while the other two women are dressed in black and are working with her.

the concept.

Rebirth is a deeply personal collection shaped around transformation, loss, and renewal. The project grew out of a period of change, a process of letting go of what no longer serves in order to create space for something new. Rebirth is not presented as clean or comfortable, but as something raw, disorienting, and necessary.

The collection draws inspiration from cycles found in nature and human experience alike: the caterpillar dissolving before becoming a butterfly, the snake shedding its skin, mushrooms generating life from decay. These moments of transition, often messy, painful, and uncertain form the emotional backbone of the work. Rather than hiding discomfort, Rebirth embraces it, showing vulnerability as a roadmap to growth.

Make-up artist touching up a model in the middle of the shoot. One person, with a shaved head, glasses, and tattoos, is touching the face of the other person, who has short, multi-colored hair and is dressed in a textured outfit.

the story.

The concept was developed in close collaboration with one of the Artistic Team members whose talent for both craft and conceptual thinking formed the foundation of the project. My role was to help shape the narrative, refine the visual direction, and translate a personal story into a cohesive collection that could be clearly expressed through image.

I was responsible for the photography and production, as well as guiding the conceptual development to ensure the story could be carried consistently across the final images. The result is a collection that embodies transformation an renewal.

A human skull surrounded by green leaves and two caterpillars.

visual language.

The visual language of Rebirth was created entirely in-camera, reinforcing the idea of transformation as something real and tangible. Using a slightly longer exposure time, the camera itself was physically twisted as the aperture opened and closed, allowing motion, blur, and distortion to become part of the image.

This approach produced a faded, dreamlike effect with the images feeling unstable and in flux, echoing the emotional state of transition. The technique mirrors the concept itself: moments of clarity emerging from chaos, and beauty revealing itself through imperfection.

A woman with curly hair and dark skin wearing a green dress with ruffles and moss details, yawning or shouting, holding her hands near her face with long nails, standing against a dark background.
A woman wearing a dress made of layered leaves and greenery, posing against a wall with a serious expression.
A woman with natural hair styled in an afro, wearing a green, nature-inspired outfit adorned with leaves and moss, posing with hands near her face.
A woman with shoulder-length hair wearing a layered, textured outfit with ruffled and leaf-like details, standing against a dark background.
A person dressed in an elaborate costume made of layered fabric and leaf-like elements, standing against a dark background, with one hand raised near their face.
Person wearing a nature-inspired outfit with leafy details, posing with eyes closed against a blurred background.
Person with short, multi-colored hair wearing a shiny, beige, quilted jacket, standing against a green background.
Fashion model wearing a shiny, metallic, quilted outfit with knee-high boots, standing against a colorful, gradient background.
A woman with a futuristic hairstyle and bold makeup, wearing a shiny, structured jacket, posed against a dark, colored backdrop.
A woman with curly hair and tattoos wearing a dress made of layered, yellow-green petal-like fabric, standing with her hands on her stomach against a multicolored background.
A woman in a layered, gold-colored dress with a high collar, standing against a dark background with colorful, blurred light streaks.
A woman with wavy black hair and tattoos on her arm, wearing a dress made of large yellow leaf-like fabric, against a gradient background of yellow and orange hues.