Inspiring women - Uschi & Ilke
ILKE COP & USCHI COP
ARTIST & AUTHOR
‘Inspiring Women’ is an ode to women who write their own stories every day; brimming with personality, passion and style. We put a few of these strong women in the art world in the spotlights, sharing their inspiring stories, what drives them and their favourite Xandres pieces.
Twin sisters Ilke and Uschi Cop share their DNA, their colourful home in Brussels and their fascination for the feminine, but at the same time, chose to walk their own paths. Find out what characterises them and their work, what their journeys look like and how they style their Xandres looks below!
#xandreswomen
WHAT TYPIFIES YOUR WORK AS AN ARTIST?
‘I create sculptures, paintings and installations that focus on colour and space exploration. Using my own image as a reference, I often work around self-expression, gender roles and the position of contemporary women in society. You also see a lot of textiles and drapery in my work, which refers to my background as a fashion designer. Art is my whole life, and fashion is part of that artistic expression.’
WHERE DO YOUR CREATIVE GENES COME FROM?
‘I don't really believe in creative genes, but I do believe in an open environment where your creativity can be expressed, which is how we grew up. From an early age, we created our own universe and already knew that we didn't want to follow the beaten track. We were always given room for that at home.’
WHAT DO YOU FIND IMPORTANT IN CLOTHES?
‘I mainly wear things that make me very happy. I particularly look at whether thought has been given to the fabric and quality of clothes, and I really appreciate that at Xandres. There are even quite a few vintage Xandres pieces belonging to my grandmother in my wardrobe, and they still look beautiful. They connect me to her, so I value them a lot.’
WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO OUR #XANDRESWOMEN?
‘I want to inspire people to do what makes them happy, not be afraid to express themselves, so the message I would like to give to other women is: never listen to anyone but yourself, and just do your own thing.’
Read more about Ilke on www.ilkecop.com or via Instagram @ilkecop.
‘WHEN I LOOK AT AN ITEM OF CLOTHING, THE FABRIC AND ITS QUALITY ARE PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT. THERE ARE EVEN SOME VINTAGE XANDRES PIECES BELONGING TO MY GRANDMOTHER IN MY WARDROBE, AND THEY STILL LOOK BEAUTIFUL.’
- ILKE
WATCH THE VIDEO
ILKE’S SELECTION
THREE MOMENTS, THREE XANDRES LOOKS
SHOP ILKE'S FAVOURITES
CAN YOU TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR WORK?
‘I am a writer, mainly of fiction, and I’m about to publish my first collection of short stories. I am also a literary curator and founder of Hyster-x, a feminist creators collective.’
WHAT TYPIFIES YOU AS A PERSON?
‘On the one hand, I’m rather an introverted thinker, and on the other, I get a lot of creative energy from networking, meeting people and bringing them together. The combination of writing and Hyster-x allows both those sides of me to manifest themselves very nicely.’
WHAT ROLE DOES FASHION PLAY IN YOUR LIFE?
‘For me, fashion is fun, a way to express myself, and I especially like quality, eye-catching and colourful pieces. It's also a way to hold on to moments: I have clothes that I link to a certain time in my life, certain memories or events. Then when I wear them, I can relive those moments for a while.’
WHICH WOMEN INSPIRE YOU?
‘I very much look up to my sister, and also to my mum. She stayed home for ten years in the past to look after us, and she did it with immense passion and dedication. Other than that, there are also many women writers I look up to, and so I actively seek out women from the past who, like me, were activist writers or founded feminist collectives.’
DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FOR OUR #XANDRESWOMEN?
‘Let your voice be heard! Some people are afraid of being different or being above or below something, but I think the world is waiting for different voices, and also female voices, to become ever louder.’
Read more about Uschi on www.uschicop.com or via Instagram @uschicop.
‘I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO FEEL GOOD AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. A SUIT REALLY IS SOMETHING EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE HANGING IN HER WARDROBE.’
- USCHI
WATCH THE VIDEO
USCHI’S SELECTION
THREE MOMENTS, THREE XANDRES LOOKS
SHOP USCHI'S FAVOURITES
WINDOW ART FOR XANDRES
In honour of Sustainable November and Green Friday, the windows of the 12 Xandres shops were transformed by artist Ilke Cop and writer Uschi Cop. They use the iconography of the oyster and the pearl to highlight the fragility of the ecosystem in images and text.
ILKE COP & USCHI COP
ARTIST & AUTHOR
‘Inspiring Women’ is an ode to women who write their own stories every day; brimming with personality, passion and style. We put a few of these strong women in the art world in the spotlights, sharing their inspiring stories, what drives them and their favourite Xandres pieces.
Twin sisters Ilke and Uschi Cop share their DNA, their colourful home in Brussels and their fascination for the feminine, but at the same time, chose to walk their own paths. Find out what characterises them and their work, what their journeys look like and how they style their Xandres looks below!
#xandreswomen
WHAT TYPIFIES YOUR WORK AS AN ARTIST?
‘I create sculptures, paintings and installations that focus on colour and space exploration. Using my own image as a reference, I often work around self-expression, gender roles and the position of contemporary women in society. You also see a lot of textiles and drapery in my work, which refers to my background as a fashion designer. Art is my whole life, and fashion is part of that artistic expression.’
WHERE DO YOUR CREATIVE GENES COME FROM?
‘I don't really believe in creative genes, but I do believe in an open environment where your creativity can be expressed, which is how we grew up. From an early age, we created our own universe and already knew that we didn't want to follow the beaten track. We were always given room for that at home.’
WHAT DO YOU FIND IMPORTANT IN CLOTHES?
‘I mainly wear things that make me very happy. I particularly look at whether thought has been given to the fabric and quality of clothes, and I really appreciate that at Xandres. There are even quite a few vintage Xandres pieces belonging to my grandmother in my wardrobe, and they still look beautiful. They connect me to her, so I value them a lot.’
WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO OUR #XANDRESWOMEN?
‘I want to inspire people to do what makes them happy, not be afraid to express themselves, so the message I would like to give to other women is: never listen to anyone but yourself, and just do your own thing.’
Read more about Ilke on www.ilkecop.com or via Instagram @ilkecop.
SHOP ILKE'S FAVOURITES
CAN YOU TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR WORK?
‘I am a writer, mainly of fiction, and I’m about to publish my first collection of short stories. I am also a literary curator and founder of Hyster-x, a feminist creators collective.’
WHAT TYPIFIES YOU AS A PERSON?
‘On the one hand, I’m rather an introverted thinker, and on the other, I get a lot of creative energy from networking, meeting people and bringing them together. The combination of writing and Hyster-x allows both those sides of me to manifest themselves very nicely.’
WHAT ROLE DOES FASHION PLAY IN YOUR LIFE?
‘For me, fashion is fun, a way to express myself, and I especially like quality, eye-catching and colourful pieces. It's also a way to hold on to moments: I have clothes that I link to a certain time in my life, certain memories or events. Then when I wear them, I can relive those moments for a while.’
WHICH WOMEN INSPIRE YOU?
‘I very much look up to my sister, and also to my mum. She stayed home for ten years in the past to look after us, and she did it with immense passion and dedication. Other than that, there are also many women writers I look up to, and so I actively seek out women from the past who, like me, were activist writers or founded feminist collectives.’
WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO OUR #XANDRESWOMEN?
‘Let your voice be heard! Some people are afraid of being different or being above or below something, but I think the world is waiting for different voices, and also female voices, to become ever louder.’
Read more about Uschi on www.uschicop.com or via Instagram @uschicop.
SHOP USCHI'S FAVOURITES
WINDOW ART FOR XANDRES
In honour of Sustainable November and Green Friday, the windows of the 12 Xandres shops were transformed by artist Ilke Cop and writer Uschi Cop. They use the iconography of the oyster and the pearl to highlight the fragility of the ecosystem in images and text.