![](https://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-slug/4b9d846aea015c0ae23850859a4632aa.jpg)
ΔΙΑΦΗΜΙΣΗ
![](https://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-slug/8510a00d4259b16003d5a388a4f9457f.jpg)
Sander Reijgers: Well, I wanted to combine the East and the West together in one jacket, so I combined the keffiyeh, a scarf from the Middle East, with a Nike jacket. I was interested in the cultural meanings of the scarves; they’re worn to keep warm or protect yourself from the sun, but then they also have an association with terrorists. Also, Hollywood stars and Western youth wear them, which is interesting.Were you trying to make a political statement yourself?
Yeah, I wanted to create a jacket of peace by combining the two extremes of American capitalism and what the keffiyeh can represent. But there was no political statement with the sex doll jackets.Yeah, what are they about? I read that the idea came after you read The Malady of Death by Marguerite Duras.
In short, the main character in that story can't feel anything for people. He uses sex as a means to feel something and hopes that by having sex with women, he'll be able to feel some kind of emotion towards a human. I wanted to do the opposite. I wanted to free the sex doll from her sexual position.
![](https://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-slug/3b408fe8c9393bcceff7483a8536d43d.jpg)
I started off making bags out of the dolls because I wanted them to feel and see the world in a normal way. For example, if you wear the bag while going out to do groceries, then the doll may come into contact with ordinary life. I've gone a step further with the jackets by combining the "product" of a woman with hip-hop, youth culture and sport.
ΔΙΑΦΗΜΙΣΗ
I mean, I do use other brands like Adidas and Reebok, too, but – for me – Nike is the biggest and such a strong brand and symbol of the West. Everybody knows Nike, so I use that recognition and association with Nike in my work.
![](https://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-slug/df34395ae6f65fa516bf195ed14c2825.jpg)
I just find them funny and stupid. I’m fascinated by the fact that it’s supposed to be a reflection of a woman. All the clichés are in the doll.Which clichés?
Well, the woman is a product nowadays – they must be attractive and seductive. For example, in advertising, a carton of milk has to be sold with a horny-looking or half naked woman. The woman is subordinate and the man is dominant. I use those roles and imagery in my work.Your mum helped you make the jackets – didn't she think they were weird?
At first she found it strange, yes. But she wanted to help me make the jackets because I'd never worked with a sewing machine before and she knew how to use one. After the first coat was finished, she was very happy and positive about the end result, so we carried on.
![](https://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-slug/3d64db96de17770d6a03fab314209356.jpg)
I see myself as a sculptor. I couldn’t use many different materials or work very quickly with painting, so I quit and started to make 3D work.
ΔΙΑΦΗΜΙΣΗ
Yeah, I wanted to make works of art that you don’t have to wear and can just look at. Football is a man’s world filled with machismo and money, so I started to experiment with the sex doll and the football to try and give the football world a different meaning.Okay. You’ve also made a pair of gloves with a vagina in the palm. What are you trying to say with those?
Nothing. I just think it’s funny to make stigmata gloves with a vagina and an anus. I do a lot of drawing and I drew a hands with a vagina and an anus on them, wondered how that would look in real life and made the gloves.Ah, the practical joys of being able to reinterpret sex toys. Thanks, Sander!Follow Ryan on Twitter: @ryanbassilMore funny fashion:I Make Jewellery Out of My Cat's Fur BallsShoes Made of Teeth: Art or Stupid?Koala Swim Has the Male Bikini Market CorneredWhy Be a Tranny When You Can Be a Tranimal?