“Nobody told me that building a fashion brand would be so exhausting,” laughs Vivian Hoorn on the phone. Luckily she can still laugh, despite the tension. In early March, she launched her own label Viveh, a label that preaches love for bodies of all shapes and sizes – and in a fashion industry where size 36 is considered the norm.
Horn has been in the fashion world for quite some time as a model, photographer and influencer. She’s a familiar face body positivity-Movement – although they prefer the term themselves body awareness used. She wants to assure her 616,000 followers that every body can be a source of self-confidence. Good clothing is important for this, Horn knows. Clothing that confirms: I can be there.
Vivian Hoorn: “Everyone should be able to wear what they want”
How rare is clothing that promotes self-confidence, Hoorn has realized in recent years. “My body was changing and it was becoming increasingly difficult to find clothes that fit my style, that were trendy and that I felt safe in. I almost never found clothes where I thought: Someone who has a larger size himself has thought about it.”
She wants to change that, she says, for herself and for her followers. “I also want to show them that you can wear whatever you want, regardless of your body shape. You don’t have to hide or disguise yourself. You can just wear a dress you like and whether you have a belly or not, you are beautiful in this dress. Point."
So a year ago Horn went to a Dutch production company to start her own brand. She wanted to outsource production, she said, so she could focus on the creative side of things. Horn designed the 27 models of the first collection intended for the summer season. This includes dresses, tops, pants, skirts and swimwear in a muted color palette of black, ecru, beige and sea blue. Stylistically, the collection corresponds to Horn’s own taste, which she describes as “classic and chic”.
Pattern in size 42
As important as style is considering different body types in the design process. Instead of running the patterns in size 34 or 36 and then transferring the design to larger sizes like most clothing brands do, Viveh designs from a size 42. That makes a big difference, explains Hoorn. “The curves are then much more taken into account and everything that you feel comfortable with as a wearer of a larger size”
The first collection will appear in sizes 36 to 46. Horn herself thinks that’s still a pretty tight order of magnitude given how diverse her audience is. She wanted to expand the range of sizes even before the brand was launched, including different length sizes, but it was decided to wait. “We’re not quite sure where our target market is yet, and we don’t want to risk overstocking for sustainability reasons,” she says. “I would like to satisfy all customers immediately, but the reality is that this will not be possible immediately – also financially. However, many of the garments in the first collection are stretchy and adjustable, making sizing less of an issue and making the clothing suitable for different body types.
Viveh launches its own web shop
Viveh clothing is mostly made in Portugal and partly in Tunisia and India. The garments are made from regular and organic cotton, Ecovero, viscose, linen and recycled polyester. Based on material consumption, Horn “can’t say that Viveh is a sustainable brand,” she concedes. “We are working on it very consciously. But it’s difficult to find fully sustainable materials in the price range we work in.” Viveh’s retail prices are currently between 50 and 200 euros. After all, Horn wants to work “as sustainably as possible,” she says, but that requires new investments. In order to do this, Viveh must first be on the market and sell himself.
Viveh will initially be sold through its own webshop, but from autumn – when the next collection is planned, Hoorn would also like to sell Viveh through other retailers. “I want people to be able to feel the fabrics,” says Horn. “Personally, I’m very fond of soft fabrics, and you just can’t experience that on a website."
At the moment, Viveh is primarily geared towards women when it comes to communication. Is Horn also considering a collection for men? “Who knows,” she says. In the past few weeks, after posting the first images of the collection, she’s noticed men are already taking an interest in some of the women’s line’s garments, such as the long, thin kaftan Horn is wearing in one of the campaign images. “And my boyfriend wears a Viveh blouse too,” she says. “Right now, Viveh is for anyone who wants to wear it. The most important thing for me is that people are inspired to dress a certain way and gain confidence through it. I want to receive photos of people in Viveh dresses saying, “I really had a great day thanks to this dress.”
This article was published on FashionUnited.nl. Translation and editing: Barbara Russ