Tasya van Ree Wears Her Heart on Her Tee
“I just try to be present and aware in every moment, with the angle of an open heart,” explains Tasya van Ree. An artist, photographer, and fashion label founder, van Ree’s multimedia body of work is married to one core component—she shoots straight from the heart, exploring the various elements of the human condition and experience. Her latest project, Die Wilder, is a fashion line comprising of t-shirts where words form fragmented narratives in an open flow of slogans such as “Hell is where the heart is” and “Death in the wild, death in the city.”
Van Ree’s vision for Die Wilder is rooted in communicating both the intellectual and emotional closeness of life and death, and responding to the heart as a symbol. Her ultimate muse, she tells us, is “the God in every one of us” and, through her designs, she aims to “uncover the true nature of people, the authentic self, so that they can be free and live life to its fullest capacity with no regrets.”
“In this series of designs I wanted it to be simple and direct, without distractions from the message,” she continues. “No over-stimulating visuals to obscure the seer from getting the overall meaning. I feel that words are very influential and can communicate anything into the subconscious to begin change from the inside out.”
The label, which van Ree plans to extend with new collaborations and potentially intertwine with a future art or photography exhibition, has a striking campaign star in musician and model Brandon Knaff. “There was a sense of intellect and underlying knowledge in his demeanor, which complimented his physical presence of artistry and conceptual balance precisely,” van Ree says. “It was the perfect combination to play out my vision.”
Knaff’s heavily tattooed body is also a powerful tool in Die Wilder’s visual storytelling. “I think people are finding more comfort in self expression,” says van Ree. “Fashion is just an extension of who you already are—another art form to communicate to the outside world what it is that lays deep inside of yourself.”
FOR MORE ON DIE WILDER, VISIT ITS WEBSITE.
