Friends Wearing PAVONINI
Volume 2
For those who don't know you, who are you and what do you do?
"I'm Leonard Breukers, also called Lexa, Bögö, Leo - the beloved child has many names and hobbies. I work both as a corporate responsibility consultant in the private sector and as a doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu. In addition to these positions, I am a member of various expert groups and boards."
After the titles, it's good to go right into the deep end: which are the best boxers in the world?
"For my taste, the best boxers are soft, but also give support and, of course, stay in place as well as possible throughout the day."
Are there boxershorts in The PAVONINI's collection that meet your standards?
"Absolutely! My favorites are the pink satin cotton boxers, which even have a silky feel. Satin cotton is wonderfully soft, slides comfortably under clothes and the long enough legs stay in place."
Let's talk about your dressing style and how your style has evolved over the years?
"When I was younger, my dressing was focused on the dark world of goth, rock and punk circles. There were hair extensions, make-up, high boots, torn tights were used as gloves and a leather jacket always went with it. From this dark futuristic world of fashion, where the clothes were often sewn by myself, I gradually moved to a more minimalist style, and today I focus on more classic way of dressing.”
Have you ever felt that your gender limited the way you dress?
"Yes. In friend circles from my youth, I can still see how the assumptions about the clothing of a certain gender affect the expectations of one's own style. Although I received a lot of compliments in my youth for the futuristic gothic style, people's politeness and attitude towards me has clearly changed with classic dressing. I don't like gender-restricted thinking when it comes to dressing, but I think that masculine and feminine features really support each other, in which case it's pointless to think about them separately. "
And have you ever noticed some glaring discrepancies between women's and men's clothing?
"I personally find men's clothes to be more functional and of higher quality than women's, but on the contrary, women's clothes often take more time to design. Thus, the appearance of men's clothes is almost always functional, while the aim of women's clothes is primarily to be attractive. But here is the contradiction: men's clothes are generally made well, but often the purpose is not so much to look good, but to keep the clothes practical. Women's clothes, on the other hand, are made to look good, but important functionalities, such as pockets, are forgotten. In addition, women's clothes are often made to imitate the idealized style and body model of each moment in time. This limits the customer base and tends to promote poor body image. Fortunately, there are more and more changes to this."
What would you like to see change in our clothing culture during your lifetime?
"I would rather see a change in the current consumer culture and the low demand for quality products, than in the clothing itself. Openness to dress and to different styles has clearly increased, but trends still guide not only clothing but also consumption. That's why I would like consumers to have the awareness to avoid trends and the courage to stay in a style that suits them. In addition, I would like to demand more justification from the manufacturers, about what makes their product high-quality."
Leonard kuvattu kotonaan Helsingin Lauttasaaressa tammikuussa 2023.
