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Greetings from Rotterdam: Olivia Pattiwael is the new Fashion Mayor of Rotterdam
Seventeen-year-old Olivia Pattiwael is the brand-new Fashion Mayor of Rotterdam. For a year she gets to carry this title and represent the city's creative fashion world. We spoke with her about her road to becoming Fashion Mayor, her inspiration and what she wants to achieve in her new role.
From a chance encounter to a place in the final
"Last year I happened to be walking through Rotterdam when the final of the previous Fashion Mayor was under way," Olivia says. "I had no idea this existed, but I found it fascinating straight away. I was already at fashion college and had to find a work placement. The then Fashion Mayor Odair Pereira was a stylist, so I went to do my placement with him. That is how I discovered what this role involves and thought: why not try it myself?" Olivia does not see that encounter as pure coincidence. "I really believe it was God's plan that I was in the city that day and saw Odair win there," she says. So when she later saw a call-out on the Instagram page of Rotterdam Centrum, she did not hesitate for long. "I live in The Hague and I am only 17, so at first I thought: that is probably not going to work. But I signed up with photographs of my own fashion show and a motivation letter. Months later I got the phone call: I was in the final. And then I had only a month to arrange everything!"
Olivia with her predecessor, Odair Pereira.
Connected to Rotterdam and the Moluccas
Although Olivia lives in The Hague, Rotterdam feels like home to her. "My family comes from the Moluccas and arrived by ship in Rotterdam at the time. A lot of family still lives there, and my parents worked there for a long time too. I grew up there, did my placement there and know the city inside out." She wove that connection with the city into her final outfit. "The theme was Rotterdam, and for me that immediately means streetwear. I wanted to make something everyone can wear. Denim became the basis, because it is timeless and strong. Just like Rotterdam. My father put out a call on Facebook and we went through the city collecting old jeans. All those stories and materials are in my outfits."
The looks Olivia presented at the final.
A win full of pride
The final itself was an experience. "My family and friends were there. When my name was announced I heard my mother and father screaming. It was an explosion of pride and joy," Olivia recalls. The jury praised her eye for detail: "They felt I had thought everything through carefully, from the colour themes to the diversity of the models. That everyone could wear it was exactly what I wanted to convey."
Her sources of inspiration came together in the winning design too. "I am inspired by today's pop girls, like Tyla and Tate McRae. They have so much self-confidence and really make statements with their clothes. But my family plays a big part as well. Moluccans often have wonderful style. Sometimes I see a family member dressed entirely in black leather and think: I am going to try that too. It is the people around me who give me new ideas every day."
Olivia speaking at the final.
Self-confidence as a mission
As Fashion Mayor, Olivia wants above all to radiate that fashion is a powerful means of showing who you are. "I want people to gain self-confidence," she says. "I struggled with that myself, but clothes have helped me. I hope that when others see me they think: she just does it, so I can too. My goal is for everyone to dare to wear what they want and to feel free to be entirely themselves. That is what I want to convey this year."
Would you like to keep up with Olivia's adventures as Fashion Mayor? Follow her via the Instagram page @rotterdam.centrum or her own account @olivia_pattiwael.
