The unfunctional bags of Julie Kegels

Inspired by the ethnical costumes from the Brazilian town of Pernambuco, typically worn during their carnival, the young designer created shirts and dresses with big shoulders by adding huge backpacks underneath the garments. Kegels loves mixing elements from different worlds – whether she likes them or not – and putting them together in the same pieces. “You always have to find a balance between things that you like and things you find unattractive to get a better outcome,” she says.

Backpacks, however, are not only important for the garments’ structure, but also for her own narrative. As a child, Julie and her sister loved pink school bags, but they were never allowed to wear them to school. Instead, they had to use the ones made by their dad, a bag manufacturer who was obsessed with functionality. “His goal was always the function of the bags,” says the Belgian designer. “Every zipper needed a purpose.” As a form of rebellion against that, she decided to do the complete opposite, so she made the most unfunctional bags she possibly could, as an inside joke. By using the technique of Ragen Moss – an artist who creates sculptures by vacuuming plastic over different items – Kegels designed bags that can only function as jewels. These, together with the jewellery designed by Isabeau Olislagers, are adornments of the collection.

Julie’s interest in fashion design started at a very young age. As a little girl, she used to knit, crochet and even style her Barbie dolls. At her primary school, Kegels’s teachers pushed her creativity further, focusing on her creative development and her interest in clothes instead of the grades. “They supported what I liked and they pushed me in that direction,” she says.

But her journey wasn’t as smooth during high school. There, she studied science because her parents thought Kegels needed a ‘good’ degree before she could move on to fashion. Even if she would’ve preferred to follow a more creative pathway, the designer thinks it wasn’t that bad of an idea. “You can always use science in your daily life,” she says. Working hard to get good marks also taught her the organisation skills and rigour that are now embedded in her design process. “I’m not the cleverest person, so I really needed to work hard,” she adds. In fact, she used to study until 11 pm every day after school and up to 10 hours a day during the weekends, something quite uncommon for a high school kid.

When she began her studies at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, right after she finished high school, she found the student experience very stressful. However, for her, it was worth it. “They really prepare you for the real fashion world, which will always be surrounded by stress,” she says. “It’s something you need to learn.” For anyone willing to start in fashion now, she states it clearly: “you have to give everything for it and be motivated because you won’t have much free time.” Having to work hard didn’t come unexpectedly for her, but she admits her first year was particularly tough.

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, her physical graduate show was cancelled, meaning that she had to present her final collection in a video format. “It is very sad but there’s nothing we can do about it,” she says. “There was a very short time to organise everything, so I think the tutors did their best.” For her, digital shows prove that travelling is not needed to present your work, but she refuses to give up on the wow effect a physical show offers. It’s a feeling that she hasn’t felt through digital presentations yet. “Physical shows are surrounded by emotions, and you are more connected to the collection,” she says. “I hope it is possible to go back to them.”

Apart from that, the pandemic hasn’t changed Julie’s work much. “It was not that negative for me,” she says. “It was actually a way to be with myself and be more concentrated. I also found some peace when I was working, as it felt like I had more time.”

Fashion is a world of change for Julie – she loves how it is a constantly evolving industry, but she would like to make its pace slower. “It is good that there are always new clothes and new seasons, but it is not good to have 20 collections a year like some big and cheap brands do,” says Kegels. “That’s something we really have to work on.”

As of her future, she is yet to decide how it is going to be. “It is weird to know exactly what you want at 22,” she says. “I have a lot of time, but my biggest dream is of course having my own fashion brand. Just not yet. I want to work for someone else first, maybe it is even nicer.” For now, she’s already working on her master’s collection, but this time, everything will be slightly different. “I want to discover new parts of me, otherwise it would be boring,” she says. “You have to push yourself to your own limits.”