ONE WEEK ABOUT Driving Dutch Design by curator Patrick Aarts Sen (BNO). Over the next few days, we show the Drivers of 2025, Lianca van der Merwe is one of them.
I’m Lianca van der Merwe, a Learning Experience Designer working at the intersection of fashion, culture, media, and education. I create digital content, work with garments, write, perform, produce exhibitions, and host workshops. I also love cycling and often use my moving body to highlight injustices in the fashion system, like body shaming, unachievable beauty standards, and overconsumption.
After traversing the globe and living in seven countries, I settled in the Netherlands. I moved here to further my education in technical fashion design but grew disheartened by the unjust treatment of people and the ecosystem in the fashion industry. Now, I’m focused on activism. My future endeavour is to establish a new business called ARTletics, where I’ll collect biometric data from wearables to create dynamic weaving and knitting patterns or immersive experiences that inspire behavioural change and advocacy in fashion. I believe there are parallels to be drawn.
Driving Dutch Design programme
I joined the Driving Dutch Design programme to orient myself and position my professional ambitions for the Dutch market. The expert guidance has really helped me understand how to do business in the Netherlands.
Driving Dutch Design
Driving Dutch Design is the professionalisation and networking programme of the Dutch design sector that helps driven designers get started in the world of creative entrepreneurship. Besides Design your business and Design your identityfor startups, in 2025 there is also DDD Next Level for mid-career designers.
The organisation is in the hands of the BNO and the programme is supported by Stichting Stokroos and the Cultuurfonds, thanks in part to the Ahrend Fonds.
