S2, E4
DARKNESS - “The Anatomy of a personal Shift”
Darkness is the moment where illusion breaks. Where identity is tested. Where the parts of yourself the world rejects can no longer be avoided.
In Season 2 of the Firestarters Podcast, each episode explores a stage in The Anatomy of a Personal Shift. This episode sits at stage four: Darkness.
In Season 2 of the Firestarters Podcast, each episode explores a stage in The Anatomy of a Shift. This episode sits at stage four: Darkness.
In this conversation, I sit down with Benjamin Voortmans, the designer behind Judassime. We explore the philosophy behind the name of his brand, the rejection that shaped his path, and how personal trauma eventually became the fuel behind his creative work.
The story moves between fashion, nightlife, and public exposure. It touches unexpected moments, from the world of club culture with artists like Dana Montana, to the national spotlight when a custom Judassime look was worn by Delphine de Saxe Cobourg, Princess of Belgium, during National Day.
At the center of it all lies Benjamin’s evolution through four collections, culminating in Lost Highway, presented during Paris Fashion Week 2025.
We talk through:
• the origin of the name Judassime and the philosophy of “looking where others look away”
• rejection from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and starting a brand as a club kid
• trauma, psychiatric hospitalization, and fashion as a language for survival
• turning emotional darkness into creative fuel
• the story behind Judassime’s early collections
• the moment his work entered the national spotlight through Princess Delphine
• nightlife, club culture, and artists like Dana Montana during the COVID era
• how trauma shaped the creative direction of the brand
• the Lost Highway collection at Paris Fashion Week
• the “Tangle” silhouette and transforming scars into armor
Judassime and The Anatomy of a Shift
When looking at Benjamin’s four collections through the lens of The Anatomy of a Shift, striking parallels appear between his creative evolution and the structural phases explored in this season.
If We Were Made of Meat (2021) reflects the early rupture of the shift.
Following rejection from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and the collapse of a deeply abusive relationship, Benjamin was forced into confrontation with reality. This period mirrors the phases of Truth, Identity, and Disruption, where a person is pushed to redefine themselves after the collapse of a previous path.
The Wrong Deal (2023) moves directly into Darkness.
Masks, confinement, and gothic horror aesthetics became visual metaphors for trauma and abuse. This collection represents the stage of shadow confrontation, where the hidden and rejected parts of the self are brought to the surface.
Ready to Undress (2024) reflects the difficult transition into Friction and Responsibility.
Benjamin began confronting the economic reality of the fashion industry. Instead of relying purely on conceptual couture, he forced himself to create garments that could sustain the brand and support the people working around him.
Finally, Lost Highway (SS26 / 2025) represents the current stage of Embodiment and Expression.
Presented during Paris Fashion Week, the collection tells a story of awakening from trauma. Silhouettes transform scars into armor, and the show culminates in what Benjamin calls “The Ascent & The Unrepentant Self.”
Seen through the blueprint of The Anatomy of a Shift, Benjamin has already traveled through much of the transformation explored in this season.
But the journey is not finished.
The final stages: Alignment and Integration at Scale require something different: stability, sustainability, and a creative process that no longer depends on personal suffering.
That tension between darkness and growth is exactly where Benjamin stands today.