Rene Strolenberg hasn’t taken no for an answer from the day he moved out of his parents’ house at age 14. He claimed jobs he wasn’t qualified for, left one that promised him greatness, and eventually opened up his own denim store with companion Menno van Meurs at the age of 26. His one flaw, he says, is that he can’t just leave a job half done, even when it comes to tattoos; he doesn’t get just one, he gets an arm full. Strolenberg has been defying the odds since birth, his mismatched Chuck Taylors leading the way.

I recently interviewed the other half of Tenue de Nîmes, co-founder Rene Strolenberg (you can read the interview with Menno van Meurs on Freunde von Freunden) for the Tenue de Nîmes website. We talked about his no-bullshit approach to life and work, love for denim, and Converse Chuck Taylor obsession. Read part 1 and part 2.  

Photo by Jordi Huisman.