Alain van Duuren

Rotterdam, 31, Teacher, MC

For a long period of time I used to hang out at Lijfstijl every Friday after work. After 5 days of doing serious stuff the only thing that I wanted is to sit back, chill, check out some new gear and talk about what was goin’ down that weekend. To me these fashionstores were the right place to start the weekend. It had the same function as barbershops have in Brooklyn I guess. One of the two formal owners is Alain van Duuren, a well known Rotterdam geezer who got his hands in all kinds of stuff. Meet Alain.

Dhani: For many people Lijfstijl was more than just a shop. Please tell me about the ‘rise and fall’ of Lijfstijl.
Alain: It all started out with a feeling we missed in Rotterdam. A friend of mine, Tjimme and I used to go to different cities abroad just to score some nice gear. We were always aiming for independent brands and exclusive sneakers. Those things just weren’t available in Rotterdam back then. At one point we decided to take matters in our own hand and we started Lijfstijl. The idea was to not only to open a shop, but offer a platform for the young. A store with a hangout function where people can connect with each other. But selling gear always remained our core business. We where young and restless.

After running the shop in Rotterdam successfully for 3 years we decided to open another shop in Amsterdam. We soon found out that the Amsterdam crowd wasn’t the same as the crowd in Rotterdam. Besides that the subway line was planned for that area so the construction disconnected the roads to our shop. After a year we decided that we couldn’t make it a success as in Rotterdam and we decided to call it a day. We had to bring our focus back to Rotterdam. Unfortunately we made those decisions a bit too hasty. As I already said, we were young. It wasn’t possible to cancel all those orders, so the next year we received a double stock which we had to sell in Rotterdam as well. That was a hustle but we managed to do it anyway.

After that, our budget was low and we had to start all over again. With new plans and some help from our good friends of Leyp, we took the challenge and opened the M store. Then came a long the copycats in Rotterdam and the recession in the world. Offcourse it’s a compliment when people are going to imitate your ideas and concepts, but it’s also fucked up in a way. Especially if you just had some big financial problems to sort out. So we made a choice, if we couldn’t do what we wanted to do and if we couldn’t bring what we wanted to bring comparing to our standards, what is the point in continuing? We weren’t in the game to make a lot of money or selling out. We were in the game because we believed in it.

Dhani: Do you miss running a shop?
Alain: Offcourse I miss it. I miss the quest for items that nobody else sells. I miss the whole interaction with customers, and brands. And to challenge both of them in some way. At times when I had to struggle and fight for what I believed in. But when I miss it the most is when I saw that everybody had a bond with the store. As you said before, you came by before the weekend and so did a lot of other people. Everybody belonged to the same movement in Rotterdam. In fact, I my eyes all those people were ‘Rotterdam’ itselve. Everything just came together in that shop. And it didn’t even matter that it was a shop. It could have been a barbershop, or a bar. It was just a place for real people that recognised realness. That is something I really miss. Not only as shop owner but as a citizen of Rotterdam as well. Luckily my good friend Woei still offers me a space on his big white pillows in his shop sometimes hahaha.
And I think a new era has arrived for me right now.

Dhani: We share the same love for tattoos. Tell me about all the ink you have and do you have new plans to get new ink in the upcoming period?
Alain: Hahaha. All of the ink. Pfff that’s a lot. But yeah I love ink. It al started out when I was young and friend of mine had his first small tattoo. My mom hated it but I just loved it. I love the way you can express yourself, the way the ink decorates the skin. So when I was 19 years I had to get one myself. That was a design I made myself inspired on an old symbol for continuity. After that I was totally hooked. So I started with some ‘tattoo projects’. I’m an old school Bboy, and my nickname was Buddha, because I love reading books about all kind of religions, especially Buddism. In those days I was always talking about that stuff. So my second tattoo was a Tibetan Buddha on my back. When Errol of Inkstitution was tattooing me, I was already thinking about my the next one. So after that came two lotus flowers on my shoulders just to make it a whole. A friend of mine, Moose opened up his own tattoo shop and of course I had to get another one. This time the “ Om mani padme hum” which is probably the most famous mantra in Buddhism. It is a mantra of the bodhisattva of compassion. And translated in words it means “a greeting to the jewel in the lotus. I believe that it stand for that ‘everything is one’. Then I wanted to tattoo something for my friends and loved ones, the object of choice was a “Shrivasta”. That reflects an everlasting love knot.

In the meanwhile my parents still hated tattoos but I had a plan. My familyline goes way back, and when I finished college I received a ring with the coat of arms of my family. So to get just one tattoo that my parents just had to like, I tattooed the coat of arms of my family at the back of my arm. Not only for my parents but also because I’m really proud of my dad, just for who he is and what he’s been through. And I was right, that is the one tattoo that they really like. Hahaha.
Right now I’m finishing my back. And the next tattoos will probably be two Wayang dolls in a traditional Indonesian Silat stance on my lower legs. I also want some smaller tat’s on my right arm to complete it. Right know I’m thinking about the Rebellion logo from Star Wars (Yeah I know I am a geek) and a traditional pin up style swallow bird with two Aces. It’s a real addiction.

Dhani: What was the reason you became a teacher.
Alain: I like to inspire young people, especially in this area. I teach on the Hogeschool of Rotterdam at the study Vrijetijdsmanagement( Free time management) I think this is an important study for Rotterdam at this moment. This is one of those studies where the new ‘movers and shakers’ must come from. I’m happy to contribute with my knowledge and expertise. I think it’s important for those students to see a guy like me instead of only dull, old people that can only talk about ‘back in the days’. They like it when I teach them something they can relate to.

Dhani: Besides this job you are a party MC too. How did that happen and where do you do that?
Alain: It all just started out as a joke. Together with two good friends of mine, Civil and Cream I used to organise several parties in Rotterdam. One off them was Dr Feelgood’s. All of a sudden I was standing next to them behind the DJ booth with a beer in one hand and a mic in the other. I was just making some jokes on the mic. But apparently the people liked it. My good friends Niek, Jeff Solo and O’Henn asked me to MC for them as well at several parties like King Kong in Club zonder Concessies. All of a sudden a agency from Amsterdam asked me if they could represent me. They hook me up with gigs and stuff. And things are just going great from that moment on. Now I’m resident MC at several parties and I’m doin’ a club tour through Holland together with Valerio, the BNN presenter. He is a good DJ, and we got a good chemistry going on. Mostly you can find me in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, at just parties such as Girlslovedjs, Kwijt, Analog, King Kong, Vintage etcetera. This summer was the shit. I did Mysteryland, Stereo Sundays and Solar festival, that was so fucking great. I love doing festivals. Here people just go all out. At this point the only thing I regret, is that I didn’t started sooner cause I really like doin’ this. It such a rush if you can really contribute to a party, you know. If you can get people to that point that everything is just perfect. My job is to give that last push in the right direction so the crowd go crazy.

Dhani: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Alain: Pffff that is the hardest question. Sometimes I ask the same to my students but I really don’t know the answer for myself. I have got so much ambition in several different fields, that I have to find a way for myself to combine those things. I want to get the most out of myself, and use my talents. One thing I know is that I will still be together with my beautiful lady, because she really gives me peace in my mind. I also hope to be a proud father at that time. Hahaha yeah I know, I’m getting old, but hopefully still be young of heart.