A total of six young designers entered the competition, but Maren’s work stood out. “With ‘Queen of the Seaside Cities’, Maren created an original and powerful design that represents the soul of Ostend in a surprising way,” says Vanessa Vens, councilor for Youth in Ostend.
Personification of Ostend
For her design, Maren wanted to respond to what makes the city unique, and not to visible clichés such as sea and beach. She therefore consciously chose a different approach: a personification of Ostend. She found her inspiration for the design in the Belle Époque, a period in which Ostend shone. She translated that into a Belle Époque queen on a skateboard.