GAYLETTER

It was only a matter of time before Timothy picked up sewing. According to his mother, outfits were always important. Timothy Carla Xavier Sassen, a Belgian boy, tried all sorts of things. Skating, the flute, Muay Thai. None of these stuck. He’d eventually complete a bachelor’s in photography, but when his studies wrapped, his interest in fashion could no longer be ignored.

Enter Timo Sassen. “It wasn’t until I was 23 that I got my first sewing machine. An old Pfaff, which is the machine I still use,” the designer explained over email, he and I corresponding as coronavirus spread around the globe, exacerbating the fashion industry’s existential crisis. With old business models proving obsolete, what does the future look like for a niche label like Timo Sassen? Anything is possible, really.

“I’ve made every single piece myself,” said Sassen whose scaled-down hands-on approach seems a more durable model for these times. “Prototype, collections, orders you name it. I’m not planning on changing that any time soon.”

Believe it or not, Sassen’s go-to fabric is fleece. The fabric, most commonly used for jacket-lining or Après-ski style performance wear, takes center-stage in playful pieces like dresses and crop tops full of cut-outs that highlight skin. Buttons and zippers are heavily featured as well, awfully functional should things heat up and you need to strip down. It’s the perfect attire for eating ice cream next to a fire. “I find it really sad that we aren’t always able to express our bodies openly,” Sassen said. “A lot of people are afraid of the human form in its bare state.” His designs don’t discriminate based on size or gender, either, making Timo Sassen popular among party queers and nightlife denizens.

Sassen is ready for fashion to change. He is tired of 85-look runway shows full of filler: “It’s boring!” For now, he’s getting used to the idea of an uncertain future. In his personal life too — the Antwerp-based designer has been planning to relocate to New York to be with his fiancé, Jacob. “That’s postponed for God knows how long,” he said. Sassen, in the meantime, plans to continue taking his time creating pieces that are honest, that are memorable, and of course affordable, too.

Pre-order a copy of GAYLETTER Issue 12 here.

Photo assistant: Laurent James

It was only a matter of time before Timothy picked up sewing. According to his mother, outfits were always important. Timothy Carla Xavier Sassen, a Belgian boy, tried all sorts of things. Skating, the flute, Muay Thai. None of these stuck. He’d eventually complete a bachelor’s in photography, but when his studies wrapped, his interest in fashion could no longer be ignored.

Enter Timo Sassen. “It wasn’t until I was 23 that I got my first sewing machine. An old Pfaff, which is the machine I still use,” the designer explained over email, he and I corresponding as coronavirus spread around the globe, exacerbating the fashion industry’s existential crisis. With old business models proving obsolete, what does the future look like for a niche label like Timo Sassen? Anything is possible, really.

“I’ve made every single piece myself,” said Sassen whose scaled-down hands-on approach seems a more durable model for these times. “Prototype, collections, orders you name it. I’m not planning on changing that any time soon.”

Believe it or not, Sassen’s go-to fabric is fleece. The fabric, most commonly used for jacket-lining or Après-ski style performance wear, takes center-stage in playful pieces like dresses and crop tops full of cut-outs that highlight skin. Buttons and zippers are heavily featured as well, awfully functional should things heat up and you need to strip down. It’s the perfect attire for eating ice cream next to a fire. “I find it really sad that we aren’t always able to express our bodies openly,” Sassen said. “A lot of people are afraid of the human form in its bare state.” His designs don’t discriminate based on size or gender, either, making Timo Sassen popular among party queers and nightlife denizens.

Sassen is ready for fashion to change. He is tired of 85-look runway shows full of filler: “It’s boring!” For now, he’s getting used to the idea of an uncertain future. In his personal life too — the Antwerp-based designer has been planning to relocate to New York to be with his fiancé, Jacob. “That’s postponed for God knows how long,” he said. Sassen, in the meantime, plans to continue taking his time creating pieces that are honest, that are memorable, and of course affordable, too.

Pre-order a copy of GAYLETTER Issue 12 here.

Photo assistant: Laurent James

It was only a matter of time before Timothy picked up sewing. According to his mother, outfits were always important. Timothy Carla Xavier Sassen, a Belgian boy, tried all sorts of things. Skating, the flute, Muay Thai. None of these stuck. He’d eventually complete a bachelor’s in photography, but when his studies wrapped, his interest in fashion could no longer be ignored.

Enter Timo Sassen. “It wasn’t until I was 23 that I got my first sewing machine. An old Pfaff, which is the machine I still use,” the designer explained over email, he and I corresponding as coronavirus spread around the globe, exacerbating the fashion industry’s existential crisis. With old business models proving obsolete, what does the future look like for a niche label like Timo Sassen? Anything is possible, really.

“I’ve made every single piece myself,” said Sassen whose scaled-down hands-on approach seems a more durable model for these times. “Prototype, collections, orders you name it. I’m not planning on changing that any time soon.”

Believe it or not, Sassen’s go-to fabric is fleece. The fabric, most commonly used for jacket-lining or Après-ski style performance wear, takes center-stage in playful pieces like dresses and crop tops full of cut-outs that highlight skin. Buttons and zippers are heavily featured as well, awfully functional should things heat up and you need to strip down. It’s the perfect attire for eating ice cream next to a fire. “I find it really sad that we aren’t always able to express our bodies openly,” Sassen said. “A lot of people are afraid of the human form in its bare state.” His designs don’t discriminate based on size or gender, either, making Timo Sassen popular among party queers and nightlife denizens.

Sassen is ready for fashion to change. He is tired of 85-look runway shows full of filler: “It’s boring!” For now, he’s getting used to the idea of an uncertain future. In his personal life too — the Antwerp-based designer has been planning to relocate to New York to be with his fiancé, Jacob. “That’s postponed for God knows how long,” he said. Sassen, in the meantime, plans to continue taking his time creating pieces that are honest, that are memorable, and of course affordable, too.

Pre-order a copy of GAYLETTER Issue 12 here.

Photo assistant: Laurent James

It was only a matter of time before Timothy picked up sewing. According to his mother, outfits were always important. Timothy Carla Xavier Sassen, a Belgian boy, tried all sorts of things. Skating, the flute, Muay Thai. None of these stuck. He’d eventually complete a bachelor’s in photography, but when his studies wrapped, his interest in fashion could no longer be ignored.

Enter Timo Sassen. “It wasn’t until I was 23 that I got my first sewing machine. An old Pfaff, which is the machine I still use,” the designer explained over email, he and I corresponding as coronavirus spread around the globe, exacerbating the fashion industry’s existential crisis. With old business models proving obsolete, what does the future look like for a niche label like Timo Sassen? Anything is possible, really.

“I’ve made every single piece myself,” said Sassen whose scaled-down hands-on approach seems a more durable model for these times. “Prototype, collections, orders you name it. I’m not planning on changing that any time soon.”

Believe it or not, Sassen’s go-to fabric is fleece. The fabric, most commonly used for jacket-lining or Après-ski style performance wear, takes center-stage in playful pieces like dresses and crop tops full of cut-outs that highlight skin. Buttons and zippers are heavily featured as well, awfully functional should things heat up and you need to strip down. It’s the perfect attire for eating ice cream next to a fire. “I find it really sad that we aren’t always able to express our bodies openly,” Sassen said. “A lot of people are afraid of the human form in its bare state.” His designs don’t discriminate based on size or gender, either, making Timo Sassen popular among party queers and nightlife denizens.

Sassen is ready for fashion to change. He is tired of 85-look runway shows full of filler: “It’s boring!” For now, he’s getting used to the idea of an uncertain future. In his personal life too — the Antwerp-based designer has been planning to relocate to New York to be with his fiancé, Jacob. “That’s postponed for God knows how long,” he said. Sassen, in the meantime, plans to continue taking his time creating pieces that are honest, that are memorable, and of course affordable, too.

Pre-order a copy of GAYLETTER Issue 12 here.

Photo assistant: Laurent James

It was only a matter of time before Timothy picked up sewing. According to his mother, outfits were always important. Timothy Carla Xavier Sassen, a Belgian boy, tried all sorts of things. Skating, the flute, Muay Thai. None of these stuck. He’d eventually complete a bachelor’s in photography, but when his studies wrapped, his interest in fashion could no longer be ignored.

Enter Timo Sassen. “It wasn’t until I was 23 that I got my first sewing machine. An old Pfaff, which is the machine I still use,” the designer explained over email, he and I corresponding as coronavirus spread around the globe, exacerbating the fashion industry’s existential crisis. With old business models proving obsolete, what does the future look like for a niche label like Timo Sassen? Anything is possible, really.

“I’ve made every single piece myself,” said Sassen whose scaled-down hands-on approach seems a more durable model for these times. “Prototype, collections, orders you name it. I’m not planning on changing that any time soon.”

Believe it or not, Sassen’s go-to fabric is fleece. The fabric, most commonly used for jacket-lining or Après-ski style performance wear, takes center-stage in playful pieces like dresses and crop tops full of cut-outs that highlight skin. Buttons and zippers are heavily featured as well, awfully functional should things heat up and you need to strip down. It’s the perfect attire for eating ice cream next to a fire. “I find it really sad that we aren’t always able to express our bodies openly,” Sassen said. “A lot of people are afraid of the human form in its bare state.” His designs don’t discriminate based on size or gender, either, making Timo Sassen popular among party queers and nightlife denizens.

Sassen is ready for fashion to change. He is tired of 85-look runway shows full of filler: “It’s boring!” For now, he’s getting used to the idea of an uncertain future. In his personal life too — the Antwerp-based designer has been planning to relocate to New York to be with his fiancé, Jacob. “That’s postponed for God knows how long,” he said. Sassen, in the meantime, plans to continue taking his time creating pieces that are honest, that are memorable, and of course affordable, too.

Pre-order a copy of GAYLETTER Issue 12 here.

Photo assistant: Laurent James

It was only a matter of time before Timothy picked up sewing. According to his mother, outfits were always important. Timothy Carla Xavier Sassen, a Belgian boy, tried all sorts of things. Skating, the flute, Muay Thai. None of these stuck. He’d eventually complete a bachelor’s in photography, but when his studies wrapped, his interest in fashion could no longer be ignored.

Enter Timo Sassen. “It wasn’t until I was 23 that I got my first sewing machine. An old Pfaff, which is the machine I still use,” the designer explained over email, he and I corresponding as coronavirus spread around the globe, exacerbating the fashion industry’s existential crisis. With old business models proving obsolete, what does the future look like for a niche label like Timo Sassen? Anything is possible, really.

“I’ve made every single piece myself,” said Sassen whose scaled-down hands-on approach seems a more durable model for these times. “Prototype, collections, orders you name it. I’m not planning on changing that any time soon.”

Believe it or not, Sassen’s go-to fabric is fleece. The fabric, most commonly used for jacket-lining or Après-ski style performance wear, takes center-stage in playful pieces like dresses and crop tops full of cut-outs that highlight skin. Buttons and zippers are heavily featured as well, awfully functional should things heat up and you need to strip down. It’s the perfect attire for eating ice cream next to a fire. “I find it really sad that we aren’t always able to express our bodies openly,” Sassen said. “A lot of people are afraid of the human form in its bare state.” His designs don’t discriminate based on size or gender, either, making Timo Sassen popular among party queers and nightlife denizens.

Sassen is ready for fashion to change. He is tired of 85-look runway shows full of filler: “It’s boring!” For now, he’s getting used to the idea of an uncertain future. In his personal life too — the Antwerp-based designer has been planning to relocate to New York to be with his fiancé, Jacob. “That’s postponed for God knows how long,” he said. Sassen, in the meantime, plans to continue taking his time creating pieces that are honest, that are memorable, and of course affordable, too.

Pre-order a copy of GAYLETTER Issue 12 here.

Photo assistant: Laurent James