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How Gaastra suddenly became cool from classic

In the past, my father took me to Friesland. There we rented sailing boats (one at a time, mind you) and sailed over the Frisian lakes. I remember the Sneekerpoort and saw it back in the logo of the jackets that the sailors wore.

It had something more romantic and strong than that the sailors could immediately hit the catwalk, but that was of course far from their intention. Still, I always had a warm memory of this brand because it stands for tradition, craftsmanship, and strong, tough men.

Then I suddenly got a call from Joke Ploeg from Gaastra. She wanted to meet. That can always happen, but I didn’t immediately see the match. I expected a woman of about fifty, with practical hair and a sturdy windbreaker. But then a beauty walked in. In a cool shirt that indeed was from Gaastra.

 ‘Casual cool like you also see at Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, but then with Frisian roots.’

Then she showed us a film about the Gaastra house, which in the video is pronounced in an English way as “Ghaastrah” and you see that a new path is being taken. Stronger; the brand is available in twenty countries and is opening new stores in England and Scandinavia. And go to a big sailing event (like the Copa del Rey where Lies and I were allowed to peek) and you see a Gaastra flag hanging there, because they are the biggest sponsor of sailing events. International coolness without losing the old loyalists, because the origin remains with the sailing sport.

In the meantime, I have met Joke and her nice colleagues quite often and every time they wear something that I would like to immediately, thank you, put in my closet in one movement. Casual cool like you also see at Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, but then with Frisian roots.

I immediately felt like an old-fashioned sailing weekend with my father again. But then preferably with that bikini from Gaastra, correction, Ghaastrah.