Spring’s coming and although we can’t wear our tees just yet, we CAN wear jewelry on skin. Here you find a few ways to combine and wear items when the sun is there but not yet blazing. ‘Cause in the end, we all love to show some skin.

When you’re still too cold with a bare neck, go for fresh combinations in your ear. Or wear a necklace on a thin cotton sweater. - Earring Score & Necklace Hit

Have you ever thought about an ankle bracelet for example? - Bracelet Orb Ankle

Role up those sleeves. Or: A silk blouse, a necklace and some curls are all you need. - Necklace Pitch & Ring Sprint

Or go for rings for the time being. Wait it out until summer. - Ring Score & Ring Garner Drop  & Ring Sprint

As a graphic designer Marjolein Delhaas is often a force in the background. However, with her planners she put her personal signature on display. Since 2008 she annually designs planners and notepads that are characterized by spaciousness and balanced typography. Every day feels like a clean slate. With one of hers in your bag you’re ready for two thousand and seventeen and each year after. ‘I strive to create little archives of life.’

Is your life organized?
‘Because of my structured work, people tend to think that my whole life is neatly organized. The opposite is true since I have a family and a business. Nevertheless, I aim for structure. It’s an absolute high when my designs are as structured as they can be but I can’t deny that I sometimes overdo it and everything collapses into chaos. But then again, it seems that everything grows in chaos and you don’t always have the time to organize growth. Over time things simply stack up and I think there’s beauty in that.’

The origin of the planner
‘At the academy they used to have notepads. I always took those and carried them with me. My bag was a mess and these notebooks were perfect for several reasons. First of all, A6 size cards and folded A4 papers fit perfectly in between the pages without the edges folding. Secondly, the small size made it easy to carry with me—in a bag or even my coat. It’s these small things that make me happy and so I based the size of my planners on that specific notebook. My planner comes in two versions: one deluxe edition with an imitation leather hardcover and a basic paperback version.

In my designs I try to keep that ‘unfinished’ feel. I try to balance out the contrast between the design and the material. The fine-tuning never stops. I don’t want to make big changes because I believe I have found the right basis and people appreciate that. It’s free from ‘noise’ like maps and size-charts. The year itself is what matters.

I strive to create little archives of life. An organizer is not just about planning, it’s also remembering what you’ve done. A couple of scribbles is enough to do that.'

The Boyscouts x Marjolein Delhaas
‘I felt an immediate connection to the Building Character collection. The essence of the visual style has a similarity to my own. The simplicity and graphic feel fits me and I could straight away envision a typeface. It was a challenge, as I never made a typeface before.  I studied the lines and junctions used for the collection and formed a basic grid to build the different characters with. The result may not be a perfect finished typeface, but it definitely is an interesting experiment, which I enjoyed making and will continue to refine. In the meantime I'm happy to announce that this experiment will turn into wrapping paper.'

Are you ready to plan, look forward and back? You find the basic and the deluxe planners here.

You might know Nina Fernande from her published work in Vers Beton, her solo expo at the New Chique gallery or maybe you’ve seen her perform with her band Ulla and the Koala’s. She has been around the town since she started her studies at the Willem de Kooning but she grew up in a small town. Her parents, both artists, always stimulated Nina Fernande to be creative and her love for design and drawing developed over time. Nina surprises with new worlds, sometimes on canvas, sometimes painted on cars. Whatever the medium, she offers food for thought.   

We asked Nina to create three images inspired by our trophies and she did what she does best: she created worlds. We sat down at her studio in Rotterdam and talked about the past, the present and the future.

Childhood

‘When I look at drawings I made when I was little, I feel it still resembles the work I make now. The fundamental aesthetics I work with are really strong, and I can’t imagine to not

have that skill. Growing up surrounded by artists has definitely contributed to my style and skillset. My mom and dad often took out the time to draw, paint or saw with me. And they’ve always been supportive of my creative career.’ 

Superheroes

Nina shows us a book from Gerd Arntz that sits on her desk. She leafs through it and shows us a selection of his graphic work. ‘I like his simple visual language. The combination between graphic elements and illustrations attracts me. And of course the work of Keith Haring I find inspiring. He’s an example for many artists like me. 

If I would describe my work there’s only one word that comes in mind: happy. With my work I try to convey positive vibes. If I’m able to do that I feel I’ve reached the highest goal.’

Nina Fernande x The Boyscouts

‘The way The Boyscouts works with shapes intrigues me. The pure shapes, clean aesthetics and usage of geometry is something I’m drawn to as well. For this collab I’ve tried to add something extra to that. I wanted it to be an extension of what was already there, with touch of fun added to it. I’m really content with the final results. It turned out exactly how I had envisioned it.’

Can’t wait to see the result of the series? Visit our Instagram & Facebook page.

Future plans

‘In February I go to Portugal. For an unknown period of time I’m going to live and work there. I felt like I needed a change: a different environment, different people and hopefully that will result in different work. I gave up my workspace, my home, and part-time job. It’s exciting and scary at the same time but I try to seek new opportunities and experiences. The last time I was in Portugal I met a group of people and made my first graffiti, which was a dream come true. My inner child was out of control.’ She laughs. ‘I’m also planning on hosting another exhibition in Porto and aside from that I will see what comes my way. Can’t wait to jump into this new adventure and see where it takes me.’

We hope she comes out swinging. Follow Nina’s adventures here.

From tote-bag to pins or painting silos; Ilse Weisfelt doesn’t discriminate when it comes to her canvas. After she graduated four years ago, she sent out Christmas cards to some clients she’d loved to work with.  The third time she sent out cards, appeared to be a charm. Publishing house Snor received Ilse’s hand-made pull-out card. Came Spring, they noticed they still had the card on display in their offices and they decided to send her a message saying she made them smile and asked her to illustrate and design a book for them. And that’s how her career took flight.

As a student and a professional she instinctively goes from the one choice to the next. Instead of starting art school right away, she learnt French first after graduating high-school, because she wanted to. She now occasionally joins forces with her boyfriend and six months ago she moved to Rotterdam. At the moment she is discovering the city. ‘I start my day early, I enjoy a long breakfast, next I go to the studio and prioritize my projects. After a day’s work I take time to cook, eat and reset.’

Ilse gives the typical The Boyscouts shapes a new context, and uses new characters who are immersed in city life.

‘Feel-good, subtle and balanced’ is how Ilse describes her style, ‘with a hint of toughness’.

About her outdoor work Ilse says: ‘Paintings on walls or silos are there for everybody to see, that’s what I love about creating work outdoors. Some people are grateful for what you are doing and respond publicly when you’re painting. I love it when my work cheers people up. It’s as simple as that.’

Titia Hahne was born in Amsterdam and has been a freelance photographer for eleven years. After she graduated in 2005 she immersed in the music scene. She worked for OOR magazine en joined several bands on tour. When she moved to Rotterdam, her subjects changed. Instead of bands and lead singers, brands and organizations made their way in front of her lens. What stayed the same is that she portrays. And so it happened that we asked her to portray the faces of The Boyscouts. “I enjoy working with brands I admire.”

About her style
"I think that what I do is minimalistic and honest. I try to create as little distraction as possible in the images I take. The person is in focus, there’s no room for clutter. By getting to know someone and experiment I get the result I look for. In this profession it works to have empathy for whomever you're working with. I don’t like posed portraits, I like to photograph people as genuinely as I can. I think this is why people often recognize themselves in my work."


Titia Hahne x The Boyscouts
"I have known the brand for about four years. That we both love a certain cleanness and graphic imagery, connects us. I admire the strong and timeless feel of the brand. Because of our similar sense of aesthetics I immediately knew what kind of portraits I wanted to create. All pictures were taken in the surroundings of Rotterdam, I 'played'  with the different faces of The Boyscouts and looked for several backgrounds to create an interesting contrast. One of the perks of photoshoots in the city, or anywhere outside for that matter, is that you have to work with outdoor conditions. We definitely worked with the wind."

(Curious about the result of the series? Visit our Instagram & Facebook page.) 

Travel and inspirations
"Iceland I could revisit a hundred times. The plains that stretch far and wide are an amazing sight. In my opinion travelling allows you to be surprised by a different light, different landscapes, architecture and people. Travelling is an important source of inspiration to my work. Through fresh input, I get inspired."

What do you hope to convey through your work?
"I strive that people see their personality in the portraits I took of them, that they catch their appearance in a graphic shot. A shot that's pure and simplistic, with a strong composition. I stay true to my own style and ideas. But it’s when my style merges with people's own image of themselves, the result is most valuable to me."


If you could take a photo of anybody…
"In every person there is something interesting to discover. That's what motivates me in my work, I long to capture what I discover in a photo."

For Harvest Moon The Boyscouts collaborated with artist Louis Reith. The result is a blanket that can be worn as a shawl or enjoyed as a blanket. Louis is based in Amsterdam and a cheerful fellow. He is a graphic designer gone autonomous artist. His love for books never went away and resulted in his own publishing house. Of course, this is a side project. We speak of his work, his style and his ambitions.

Who are you?

‘I’m Louis Reith, graphic designer originally but I have grown to be an autonomous artist. I create to exhibit.’  

Signature style

‘My style comes from a desire to not just sit behind a computer all day. I figured why not make graphic shapes manually? Instead of communicating directly with typography I started creating an abstract alphabet with which I could stack letters to become words, like typographic sculptures.  How this style came into being? I adore books and at some point I started drawing on the pages of a biology book, preferably on the yellowed ones. I love to work with theme’s derived from nature, be it on the page or in my drawing. It strengthens the contrast between what’s analogue and what’s digital. This eventually led me to make potting soil paintings. Those paintings in particular appealed to The Boyscouts and were the start of our collaboration.’

Collaboration

‘Zelda invited me to create the artwork for the blanket that’s part of the Harvest Moon collection. Creating a scarf was high on my wishlist, mostly because I love wearing them. The process was fast but sweet. We spoke of what parts of my work appealed to The Boyscouts and I started experimenting with those ingredients. I started sketching with the words “boy scout” and it fit perfectly. First I put trees in the background but the detail of that didn’t work. Eventually I created a form of pixel-noise that has the effect of an abstract pixel- sky.’

Future plans

‘What appeals to people in my work is the esthetic that I have developed. I’d love to take that to the next level. Working with soil has an interesting effect that I could take much further. I’d like to start working with color, with grass or pigments. I’m starting to find a connection with nature. I want to translate what’s outside to the inside. Maybe in the shape of installations, create soil carpets for example but first I’d have to find the space to do so.’

Harvest Moon

The Boyscouts celebrates the harvest season. After having carefully sown in spring, looking after and caring for what you planted, it is time to gather the merit. Flourishing demands a celebration. The pieces symbolize the reward that comes after the effort. We devoted ourselves to creating a collection of bold pieces that highlight your achievement.