VAN HALEN’s no. 2: Bet Dimes, Bad Times, Bedtime

15 .01.2024, Eurostar Rotterdam > Paris:

‘Whatever what matters? Aimlessly scrolling through my Instagram feed, I get overflown by a great sense of awe and sadness. Viewing the latest runway collections, I get a feeling of unworthiness and professional incompetence – in the luggage rail my damaged Samsonite shakes whilst the train drives through Brussels-Midi station. This morning, I stuffed my full AW24-25 collection into one single suitcase and now I wonder: How could this ever be enough?

With this feeling of unease, I look back at my phone, pulling out a new notification: ‘nik_gundersen, jasperaxelfalck and 124 others liked your photo’. Now also my message pops-up, it is Kjartan congratulating me with my new collection – in a few weeks from now he will receive his piece from my first collection. Again, I feel at ease – I look back at my suitcase with an audible gasp; Yes, it is enough…

Then, I stand up from my chair, straighten my back and strut down the narrow 2nd class Eurostar isle, with a bouncing beat in my ears I channel all of the supermodels. Really… Raf and Miuccia got nothing on me’

– Leroy van Halen

Web VAN HALEN
Instagram @leroy_van_halen