Excursion to the studios Joris de Groot & Suzanne Oude Hengel

As part of our excursion to the Netherlands, we visited Joris de Groot and Suzanne Oude Hengel in their studios. The two work in neighboring studios on the grounds of the Kleefse Ward industrial park. Both studied design at the Artez University in Arnhem. Jori’s practice is characterized by his particular approach to projects. He develops something new with local companies, based on a familiar technique and mechanical processes. This can be seen in his Bachelor’s thesis in cooperation with Dolfing. It was there that he first discovered foil welding and cutting for himself. His Folded collection is also based on the knowledge he gained in this way. In 2018, he developed the 2000N shoe in cooperation with Freudenberg. This is inspired by thermoforming technology. It consists of molded car floor mats that are made of polyester and can therefore be shaped very easily. The sole is then sewn to this shoe using a strobble seam, which is also used for carpets. During her training, Suzanne focused on knitting and mainly familiarized herself with digital knitting and the technology of the knitting machine. Her work mainly focuses on footwear, as she enjoys the challenge of this highly complex product, which has to have several material qualities in one piece. She has already worked with major footwear companies such as Timberland and also pursues her own research. For example, she is researching pleated knitwear and three-dimensional spacer fabrics. Both took part in the residency at the Shoe Museum in Walwijk and decided to work on a collaborative project there. They came across the material “TPU yarn” at a trade fair. This made it possible to combine the knitted toe and the printed sole using welding technology. The sole can thus be seamlessly attached to the upper part and the shoe consists of just one material. The two showed us the numerous samples that they produced as part of the project, also with the help of BASF. These were to be shown the very next day at the Dutch Design Week. This also gave us an insight into the exhibition design.