29 Jun 2025
29 Jun 2025
The Willet-Holthuysen HouseDesign your own T-shirt
How do new generations give meaning to the shared colonial and slavery past? In this program, we’ll explore together with a range of speakers how young people shape their stories and perspectives through creative expressions such as streetwear and photography. How can creativity be used to keep cultural heritage alive? After the panel talk, you'll take part in an inspiring workshop where you’ll design your own T-shirt.
Date & time: Sunday 29 June from 2 pm to 5 pm, walk-in from 1.30 pm
Location: The Willet-Holthuysen House
Language: Dutch & English
Price: €0,00 - €5,00
Age: 16+
Panel talk
This public program, held in the context of Keti Koti, centers on intergenerational dialogue, resilience, and allyship. In a panel talk, various creators and designers will reflect on how descendants of enslaved people engage with their history today. They will share how, through creative expressions such as streetwear, they celebrate the resilience of the African diaspora. The conversation will also explore how this shared past extends beyond Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean. How can we work together, regardless of background, to contribute to justice and collective remembrance?
Speakers
Engage in conversation with streetwear artist Reza Reez and photographer Ruby Cruden. Reza brings a global perspective on the history of slavery, with a particular focus on Indonesia, and shows how he uses his cultural background as a source of inspiration for his streetwear. Co-founder of fashion brand XHOSA Giorgio Toppin also shares how he draws inspiration from the city's diverse cultures and backgrounds. Photographer Ruby Cruden brings a powerful, personal perspective on identity and resilience through photography and film, inspired by her Surinamese background.
Reza Reez
Reza was born and raised in Jakarta Indonesia. It was his mother's passion for tailoring that first introduced him to the world of clothing and craftsmanship. After moving to Amsterdam, he quickly immersed himself in the local streetwear scene, where he found inspiration in sneakerhead culture and collecting rare sneakers and exclusive garments.
His passion for creating a timeless brand led to the founding of Rezareez in 2018 - a dream come true. Behind the brand is a dedicated creative team with a shared vision. Rezareez is more than a label: "It is our passion, and we do it with love".
In 2023, Reza opened the doors of the Rezareez flagship store, located on the Zeedijk in the heart of Amsterdam. The brand is built on values. Rezareez is not only about fashion, but also about spreading a positive message through everything they do.
Ruby Cruden
Ruby Cruden is a photographer and director. Her photography and film oeuvre is characterized by a colorful, melancholic atmosphere that focuses on self-celebration, feminism and inclusion. As a black, queer woman with ADHD, she continuously looks at her surroundings through a unique lens, challenging the viewer to also open up to a different approach to the world around us. Her activism is reflected in the form of a search for the boundaries of gender, race and identity.
Ruby photographs with analog cameras. Not only because the entire process requires calm and focus, but also because the nostalgic atmosphere of shooting on film communicates her desire for a softer world.
After her Edison nomination for Best Music Video 2021 (Merol - KNALDRANG) which she directed and filmed, she decided to pursue her ambition as a filmmaker and director in addition to photography. Her work has previously appeared with Warner Music, Netflix and Nike.
Giorgio Toppin
XHOSA is a fashion brand founded in 2009 by brother and sister Giorgio and Onitcha Toppin. Based in Amsterdam, the brand takes inspiration from the different cultures and backgrounds in the city.
They draw inspiration from their cultural heritage and the environment they grew up in. XHOSA aims to diversify men's wardrobe and encourage them to express their individuality through culture, fashion and innovation in tradition.
In addition to their fashion brand, the duo is committed to diversity and inclusion within the creative industry. For example, they have organized events where they narrow the gap between self-taught creators and cultural funds, make documentaries to tell underexposed stories and design exhibitions.
Workshop
After the panel talk, it’s your turn to get creative by designing your own T-shirt using textile markers. You'll create a word, symbol, or image that you personally connect to Keti Koti.
Once you've finished your design, you'll join a series of speed-dating rounds to exchange stories and reflect on each other's creations. You’ll also write a message on the back of someone else’s shirt. In this way, the experience becomes not only personal, but also a shared memory.
By combining creativity and dialogue, we commemorate the history of slavery in a contemporary and meaningful way, highlighting it as a shared history that still matters today.
Heri Heri Maaltijd, 2023, Fotografie: Françoise Bolechowski
Heri Heri
On July 1st, Keti Koti, pick up a Heri Heri dish between 12.00 pm and 5 pm at the Willet-Holthuysen House. Take the dish home, or eat it in the historic garden of the Willet-Holthuysen House while enjoying a free drink (Colastroop, Gemberstroop and Orgeadestroop lemonade). With the serving of this dish, we invite everyone to reflect together on the shared past and build collective consciousness. Will you stop by?