Amanda van Effrink
Pirate: Jeanne de Clisson
Embodied by: Amanda van Effrink (fashion illustrator, stylist & art-director)
I’m all about pink and glitter, Jeanne de Clisson had a thing for black and red. But even though I’ve never killed anyone – thank god! – Jeanne and I have more in common that just a strict color scheme.
I grew up in what you could call a pirate’s nest. A family of quirky, colorful creatives that livened up our tiny Dutch village. “You are unique, don’t let anyone ever tell you what to do!”, my grandma would say. A fashion designer who always dressed head-to-toe in some fabulous color, she encouraged me to make all my own clothes and go grocery shopping in yellow polka dots and a dramatic hat. It’s still my motto today: why blend in when you can stand out and brighten up someone’s day?
A big Marlies Dekkers fan, I was honored to pose for her, and the shoot was pure magic! With the sun breaking through the fluffy clouds and the sea foam gathering around my ankles, I felt like a mermaid pirate. But to channel Jeanne’s fierce spirit, I had to go into her pain… and my own. In past relationships, I have been hurt very deeply by people taking advantage of my positivity. At one point, however, I refused to feel like a victim and took life by the helm. How fitting that Marlies gave me a ship’s wheel to hold! As I was ‘steering’ on the beach, I thought about how far I’ve come, charting my own course in life: I turned my can’ts into cans and my dreams into plans. Now, I want to make other people shine just as bright. And if even one person scrolls through my feed in the morning and decides to wear glitter pants that day instead of jeans, I think I’m doing a great job.
Follow Amanda on Instagram.
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