There’s something about twins. Since the dawn of time, we’ve held a universal fascination with twins both identical and fraternal, longing to know what it’s like to share one’s life so intimately with another brother or sister. From the womb, to their wardrobes, to navigating the world at large together, an air of intrigue and mystery pervades the lives of twins still today—so many questions spring to mind: do twins share the same thoughts, the same feelings, the same instincts, the same palettes?
Nowhere, except the realm of science perhaps, have twins captivated us as much as in the worlds of fashion and photography, where the likes of Ruth and May Bell, Amalie and Cecilie Moosgaard and Lia and Odette Pavlova have taken the industry by storm, featuring side by side in campaigns and runway shows for Chanel, Dior and Burberry.
Now, to launch his new eponymous label The Marc Jacobs, American designer Marc Jacobs has cast eight sets of twins in the debut campaign, lensed by photographer Hugo Scott, to model his new wares. A mix of archival inspirations and a re-imagination of past garments that work for today too, the line is intended to sit separately to the runway collection, with each item wearable for the everyday.
Scouring the fresh faces from around the globe—all the way from the Netherlands to Korea—the campaign images are bold and playful, dispelling the age-old fear of showing up to an event in the same outfit and speaking instead to a sense that our personal styles shouldn’t be taken so seriously; our love of clothing should be shared. Catapulting these breakout models to fashion fame, Vogue chatted with some of the stars on the experience of working with Marc Jacobs, what it’s like to model in twos and their twinning style.
Image credit: Instagram.com/marcjacobs
Abril and Lourdes Ruhstaller
How would you describe the campaign in three words?
Lourdes: “Unique, explosive, disruptive.”
April: “Retro, glamorous, attractive.”
Why do you think we are so fascinated by twins?
Lourdes: “We realise people are attracted to twins because I think they have a lot of questions about whether it’s true that we think and feel the same way. We are often stopped on the streets or hear comments when we walk by. It’s probably funny seeing two people who look exactly alike. We’re used to it and laugh when people ask us questions or stare.”
What was it like to work on The Marc Jacobs campaign?
Abril: “The experience was absolutely amazing; the organisation of the team, each person doing different things, every detail, every moment is taken into account. We were treated so nicely, everyone took great care of us. We had so much fun. It was an incredible experience we will never forget!”
In what ways does fashion relate to twins?
Lourdes: “Fashion could be considered in some ways as a way of sharing likes and trends, and I definitely believe that fashion creates bonds between people who like to wear the same designers and styles.”
When it comes to your personal style, do you like twinning?
Abril: “We have the same style and shop together because we share our clothes. Sometimes we are almost dressed exactly the same!”
Image credit: instagram.com/marcjacobs
Meerle and Sterre Haket, 17, The Hague
What was it like to work on The Marc Jacobs campaign?
Meerle: “The experience was really nice and we undoubtedly learned a lot from being there and being surrounded by so many great people who believe in the models and in the campaign itself. We got to work with artists that have a lot of experience in the fashion field and it was an amazing opportunity for the both of us.”
What does it mean to be cast in the campaign together?
Sterre: “I think it’s awesome that we did our first big campaign together. It’s a really cool idea to cast twins together; I had a lot of fun.”
Why do you think we are so fascinated by twins?
Meerle: “Twins are so intriguing for fashion and other media because twins can look so very alike and so different at the same time that people like to play a game of ‘spot the difference’ when they look at them. It’s like holding up a mirror [to yourself] that has a reflection that is slightly different from the person looking in it. I think that fascination makes it so interesting to photograph twins.”
Sterre: “Twins are everywhere around the world and in history. I think people who aren’t twins will always keep wondering what it’s like to be a twin, what kind of bond there really is between twins. Seeing people that look so much alike next to each other makes people curious.”
Is your style influenced by each other?
Meerle: “Our personal styles are very much inspired by each other as we like the same things and we sometimes argue about who gets to buy and wear what. We don’t share our clothes anymore but [our styles are] very much shaped by each other, although we can also be quite different.”
Sterre: “We have always had a similar style of clothes. When we were younger our parents used to dress us in the same outfits, just in different colours. We still do that sometimes, but now I do try to differentiate my style and make my outfits more personal.”
How do you think the idea of twins plays into fashion?
Meerle: “Fashion plays a role in portraying relationships in general and that includes twins. Photos and other forms of media show bonds between people and maybe even how they are formed. Twin shoots mostly show the positive sides of being a twin, and of course I think that is important. But it is also a complex relationship just as many bonds are.”
Sterre: “Fashion can express a common share in creativity and style. My sister and I have done a lot of shoots together, and the photos show part of the special bond between us as twins. I also think that working together has improved our relationship as sisters.”
Image credit: instagram.com/marcjacobs
Erin and Alyssa Hengesbach, 28, Michigan
How did you come to be cast in the campaign?
Erin: “Hugo Scott had taken a photo of us at the Twins Days Festival a few years ago and that is how they found us. Everybody that worked on the campaign really liked the photo and wanted us to be a part of it. The stylist, Lotta Volkova, got in contact with us the day before the shoot and asked if we could come to New York [the next day].”
What does it mean to be cast in the campaign together?
Alyssa: “It means more than any other person can ever know… We know how each other is feeling pretty much at all times, and having a person there who completely understands me is a luxury most people do not have. Being in all of the images together is a normal feeling since we are always together. Having the memories and the shared experiences is something that we will always get to look back on, and probably appreciate more and more throughout life.”
Erin: “It means everything to be cast in the campaign with my twin sister. She is my built-in best friend since birth and we like to do things together. I do not think that I could have done the photo shoot without her.”
Why do you think we are so fascinated by twins?
Erin: “There is an unbreakable bond that twins have, and most people can see that just by looking at us for a few minutes… It is a universal fact that twins are special. No matter what language someone speaks or country someone comes from, every person can understand and see the love that twins have for each other.”
How do you think the idea of twins plays into fashion?
Alyssa: “Twins make imagery so captivating to look at because they create such a unique picture that cannot be duplicated by anyone else. Having twins in an image just draws people in. Having two identical people standing or sitting with each other brings some kind of allure to the pictures because the physical features are the same, and the clothes or accessories seem to stand out more than they would on just one individual person.”
Do you dress the same or try to differentiate your personal styles?
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Erin: “We both have the same personal style and do everything the same as far as clothes, hair and accessories. We do not wear the same clothes on the same day or anything, but our styles are the same. I have never felt the need to have a true individual style because I love that I am a twin, so an individual style has never been important.”
Alyssa: “The colours we wear are what separate us more than anything else. I like certain colours and Erin has her favourite colours, and that is the way it has been since we were old enough to dress ourselves. Accessories also differentiate our styles with different bracelets or watches, which is actually how most people learn to tell us apart to begin with.”
Image credit: instagram.com/marcjacobs
