Nieuw Jurk is the ongoing interdisciplinary and socially critical concept of Esther Meijer, notorious for it’s history of conceptual and unique fashion projects where Meijer practiced fashion in innovative and multidisciplinary way. A Nieuw Jurk concept was reflected in the choice of disciplines, a collection, print design, presentation, main characters and collaborations. Meijer approaches fashion as a phenomenon with the gaze of an anthropologist and analyses it as a means of communication; what you wear says a lot about personality, image and identity. Youth culture, various subcultures and online culture are a big inspiration.

Recently Nieuw Jurk transformed to a pure hypothetical brand that focusses on creating multimedia art and community projects. Meijer uses discarded clothes and textiles as the main material to make sculptural and installative work, and expose the fashion industry as one of the biggest systems of oppression - for workers, consumers, designers, ecosystems and non-human animals. She builds a set - a decor, costume and props, that she photographs or films.

She uses her work as a tool to emphasize social and cultural phenomena to raise awareness and spark the viewer or contributor to reflect on these subjects. Motivating them to feel connected to the bigger picture, and inspired to make autonomous choices - for a better future. Themes are the exploitative and hypnotic fashion system as a religion and metaphor for human behaviour, the oppression of women and motherhood in the patriarchal system, climate injustice in relation to the capitalist construct, the evilness of consumerism and toxic online culture and body image. By exposing these subjects, Meijer makes space for discussion and fiddles with taboos on social, political and cultural institutions.

Nieuw Jurk projects invite an audience to participate or connect with art or others. Recently she hosted a temporary concept space in Amsterdam Zuidoost where people showed their work, came together and exchanged ideas and knowledge on unconventional ways of thinking - creating space for several subcultures, artists and non-normative makers, thinkers and voices.