Vrouw Achter Het Merk: Patty Zomer

The fashion world is not known for love, inclusion, and equality. That screamed from the rooftops of the Inside America’s Next Top Model documentary. Patty Zomer knew all about this after years of styling and her time with the 80’s girl group Dolly Dots. That’s why she wanted to create something that is for everyone. And thus her clothing brand Speezys was born.

The name Speezys sounds like a whole brainstorming team worked on it, but the origin of the name is a lot less glamorous and much cuter than you think.

My father was a plasterer and worked with ‘mortar’. That stuck. We actually wanted to start with ‘species’, as in types, because we are all a species of the world. The kaftan fits everyone: whether you are tall, short, a man, or a woman. But that name had already been claimed a hundred times. So we combined a piece of home with species and thus Speezys was born.

You worked for years as a stylist and no matter how exciting that world seems, at a certain point it started to bubble and you wanted more.

I was a bit fed up. I had been working in styling for a while and that world was changing: it became smaller and busier, and it was very hard work. I had been selling basic items to clients on the side for a while, so everyone told me I should create a basic collection. But I found that boring. That already exists. I needed a piece of clothing that doesn’t dictate what is in fashion, but rather shows how you ideally want to feel. Comfortable. Free. I have always loved kaftans, wore them myself a lot. I wanted to do something with that.

You love inclusion, everyone is equal, whether you are young or old. You thought it was important that if you were to bring a piece of clothing to the market, it would be something that everyone feels good in.

A kaftan is freedom: you step into it, and you are ready. Nothing needs to go underneath and you don’t have to think about anything. At the beach, at home in bed, or with a wedge heel, belt, and jewelry into the city. That’s what I love about it: it can be anything. And it’s for everyone. That might be the most important thing. Young and old; everyone can wear it in their own way.’’

Your styling journey began in the 80s, during your time in the Dolly Dots. For the last five years, you styled the group with fellow member Esther Oosterbeek. Then you moved on to De Modepolitie, the show where you searched for the worst-dressed Dutch person each week and threw a new wardrobe at them. Are there lessons from that time that still echo in your head while you work on Speezys?

Fashion is relative. Trends come and go, that’s also the fun of styling, but the essence is that someone remains themselves. What I have learned over the years is to really look at the person. Who is someone? How does someone move? And what does that radiate? I naturally came from the music world. There, a lot is possible; it’s a circus. When I later worked for De Modepolitie with ‘ordinary people’, I saw how many people are stuck in a certain image of themselves, or don’t dare to show who they are. While everyone wants to be seen. One can wear tiger print and comes in swinging from the lamps, the other does it more subtly with form, a nice jacket, or accessories. That’s what I look at. You don’t have to follow every trend, but you can develop yourself by two millimeters each time.

Britt Das and you are totally different people, yet the collaboration has been going well for eight years. What is it like to have a brand together?

Well, that is daredevil. And I am somewhat used to it with five women. Britt and I are totally different: she is more into the minimalist, I am more into adding a funky pair of sunglasses. And somewhere in the middle, we find each other. For example, when we look at colors and shapes for a new collection, we always agree. That is very special. While we are very different as people.

Is it meant to be or is it just a matter of hard work and grinding?

I really believe in the spiritual, so there might be something in it of ‘it is granted to you’. But at the bottom, it’s just incredibly hard work. We have no investors, we do everything ourselves. So it’s investing, investing, investing. Especially when you create a new collection, that just costs a lot. And as a small brand, you always come last in production. First the big players, then you. So yes, it’s really about perseverance.

Even though the kaftan is completely Patty Zomer, are there also pieces from your collections that you would never wear yourself?

Yes, there are definitely pieces that I would never wear. And I stand behind everything, but I am turning 65. I don’t want to say; oh you are over 50, so you can’t wear shorts. If you have the legs and the courage for it: always do it. I think that’s amazing. But I am more of a tomboy, I love a baggy short to the knee. Still, there is a lot of me in the collections. I started with kaftans and I wear them myself, even vintage. That is really who I am.

Who makes you the happiest when you see her in Speezys?

Recently, a really nice woman came up to me in our kaftan with cowboy boots underneath. And she had styled it completely with chains. That makes me the happiest. Of course, you have dreams of upgrades that you are mentioned by renowned magazines, but ultimately it’s not about that. It’s about people really wearing your pieces.

After ten years of Dolly Dots, it was over from one day to the next and you suddenly lost your five “sisters”. And then followed quite a dark period. If you could tell your 25-year-old self about Speezys, how would she react?

She would definitely say: oh, hell yeah. I am an adventurer, I am not afraid, and that was already in me back then. I might not have thought that I would have my own brand, but that there was still so much to do. That was certainly not a surprise for me. When I just came out of the Dolly Dots, I was 25 and suddenly alone. I started that adventure when I was 16. I missed my girls very much: that feeling of being together, always someone to fall back on. I found that difficult. But at the same time, I also got something new: freedom. We used to have only three weeks of vacation a year and suddenly everything was open. I found that exciting, but also wonderful.

Where can we find Speezys?

Well, on our website

Patty had already had a stellar career by the age of 25. What do you still dream of with Speezys?

That the brand grows, but remains manageable for us. That it is simply a success and that we can live from it. I am not someone who necessarily needs to become very rich. But I do want to earn enough money to do what I love. That I hope very much.