Exhibition Roffa's Creators | Marwan Magroun & Meryem Slimani

In their photographic series KROSI, Marwan and Meryem trace the link between culture and fashion. Krosi is the Surinamese word for clothing. Many Surinamese words have found their way into Rotterdam street talk and are used by a large group of Rotterdammers. It’s illustrative of how cultures and customs mix in urban life. Which traditions and customs do Rotterdam youngsters incorporate into their fashion choices? What can we learn from one another by looking at clothing, behaviour and customs? 

Antu’s roots lie in Surinam. The forebears of many Afro-Surinamese hail from West Africa. This photo shows how traditional West African textiles are teamed up with streetwear. It’s a common sight in the Rotterdam street scene, where West African prints are often used for t-shirts or head-wraps.
A love for your roots is something you carry within you. This combination of different clothing styles is a striking expression of a love of different cultures. Marwan and Meryem are able to show how culture travels through the years and down the generations.
 

This is Ikram, whose roots lie in Morocco. The photograph shows her wearing a traditional dress that is usually worn on special occasions such as an engagement party or wedding. The dress has been accessorized with jewellery that Moroccan women often wore for going to a party. Stylist Meryem adds a Rotterdam twist to this traditional clothing by teaming it with sneakers and a bum bag.
 

That’s Alec in the photo. Alec’s roots lie in Indonesia. The photo shows how he combines traditional dress with contemporary pieces by the Rotterdam designer Susan Bijl. What’s striking about the colours Alec is wearing, is that they are all skin tints. A wide range of colours and scents mingle in the city of Rotterdam.

For Eritrean weddings and baptism celebrations Winta Tefera dons her Telfi. As an icon of Rotterdam Winta sparkles on a city roof, representative of her dual Rotterdam and Eritrean roots.

In this first part of the photo series Abdel Taounza is shown proudly sporting a Moroccan djellaba in combination with his own western style of clothing. A djellaba is a long, loose-fitting robe with long sleeves and is worn by both men and women in the countries of the Maghreb. But here in Rotterdam, too, young people are increasingly teaming traditional items of dress with their own fashion style.