"My style, colorful and a bit crazy"

Ninia LaGrande: "Fashion is there for everyone!

Anyone who travels a lot on the internet and is interested in fashion, poetry slams or feminism, has probably met her before: Ninia LaGrande, actually called Ninia Binias. The 32-year-old with perhaps the sunniest smile on Instagram lives in Hannover, is incredibly busy - and she is short-lived. We spoke to her about her style, her love of fashion and her heart theme of inclusion.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde: You write, perform poetry slams, social media advice, blogging, being an activist and moderating on TV and events - how do you get it all under one roof?

Ninia LaGrande: With good time management! Sometimes it is still chaotic, especially if even a private life should take place. Then I have to pull myself together and cancel something that I would have liked to do.

What happens if I do not wash my hair? #strubblehead #selfie #selfielove # 80s #burst

A post shared by Ninia LaGrande (@ninialagrande) on Feb 19, 2016 at 1:40 am PST

"I'm going to look anyway, so I can try out fashion too"

Let's talk about your fashion magazine that ran on RTL: What was it about and how is it different from other shows about fashion?

Ninias Fashion Mag is a knowledge show about fashion for teens. We introduce fashion professions and visit people who work in the fashion industry, from the visual merchandiser to the tattoo artist. We also do surveys and in the category "style of the week" we deal with figure types. The tenor is always: Fashion should be fun and is there for everyone! This is very important to me. We do not introduce any crass designers or just present a specific type of model. The moderator is short-lived - so it's clear that we want to show that everyone can play with fashion and try it out.

Inclusion, that is the natural coexistence of people with and without disabilities, is one of your big topics. How does that fit with your fun of fashion? Are there any points of contact?

That fits very well together! For me, it started when my mom always dressed me a little bit differently than other kids. Experimenting, but also stylish. She has attached great importance to my sister and I finding our own style. In puberty, that helped me a lot. I was looked at anyway, that's why I thought: Now I can try myself. Let's see how people react when the little woman is totally crazy. I'm just interested in fashion. And I do not see why I should not have as much fun with 1.40 meters as a woman with 1.80 meters.

And what feedback did you get on the program?

For example, I often write to parents of short-lived children that they are happy to see someone on television who is like their children? and the moderated something to them, which has thematically nothing to do with disability. Because it shows them that they can do anything they want. That's the biggest praise for me.

At the Fashion Week in New York, a model with Down syndrome ran down the catwalk, there is a successful bikini model without legs: Do you have the impression that something is changing in the fashion industry?

I think we are in an intermediate stage. You have to wonder if the designers are doing it just to get attention. So after the motto: Then I'll take a model with Down syndrome or one with only one leg, so that all report on me. But even if that's your motivation, I think it's okay. The message is still positive. We are on a good way. For example, there is a very successful male model who has a prosthetic leg. You often do not see them because he wears long pants. That's inclusion!

Today: Goldierocks. # 609060

A post shared by Ninia LaGrande (@ninialagrande) on Jan 27, 2016 at 7:08 am PST

Is it really hard for you to find clothes that fit you well?

I have a nice seamstress here in Hannover, who sews my pants. I can not expect that tons of pants in my leg length and my hip width are made, so many people there is not even who could buy. It is very difficult to find shoes. I have size 34, sometimes only 33. I used to bring chucks from the US because they did not exist here in my size. Fortunately, there are now cool sneakers in child size. But pumps and boots are a disaster.The usually start only at size 36 and for children's boots, my calves are too thick? Apart from the fact that they do not look like I imagine cool shoes. I muddled the rest together. Some trends are just not for me, the oversized look, for example, looks more than oversized to me. On the other hand, cropped is great. The whole Crop Tops fit me really well.

How would you describe your style?

Someone once told me that I was the only person she associates positively with the word hipster. A very nice compliment, I think. Otherwise, my style is usually very colorful, very experimental and a mix of second-hand and off-the-shelf.

Today: Weekend with Thai food and theater. Outfit looked at Lucie - who yesterday organized my reading and looked great. # 609060

A post shared by Ninia LaGrande (@ninialagrande) on Feb 14, 2016 at 8:38 am PST

"Be brave and try it out!"

You take a selfie of yourself every morning and post it on Instagram. Why?

It started when a blogger wrote a rant about model measurements a few years ago. At the same time she mistyped, instead of 90-60-90 she wrote 60-90-60. Many people found this spontaneously funny and began photographing Instagram on # 609060 to show that there is more beyond the norm. In the meantime, it has become a ritual for me. The photos are a kind of archive of my wardrobe. And I get great feedback. People write to me that they are happy when they see me smiling in the morning, they find my trousers great and ask for glasses. These are also pats for the ego.

Your mother used to dress you exceptionally. Is she a style model for you?

She is very confident in style and knows what fits. If I am in despair, for example because I am invited to a wedding and find nothing suitable, I write her a message and ten minutes later I get an email with various links to clothes, three of which I am sure and like. She has known me for 32 years and knows what I like.

And who else inspires you?

Many different people, every day. Various Instagram accounts like @kellymcbabe, @cat_arsis, @vrenifrost, @jilly_peppa, @horstintheforest or @sammijefcoate, my friends, strangers on the bus. Sometimes I just see someone with a great hairstyle or a certain lipstick and think: You will do that tomorrow too! I also learned that from my mom: Be brave and try things out!

And here's a slam text by Ninia LaGrande

Just a bit crazy//COLLAB with AlexandaTale and Inky Face (May 2024).