Different Upbringings is a personal exploration of family heritage and historical storytelling through fashion. Inspired by my Dutch grandparents’ contrasting WWII experiences, my grandfather hosting American soldiers and my grandmother surviving a concentration camp, I drew from 1940s children’s wear, using sailor collars, puffed sleeves, and utilitarian details. My collection blends oversized silhouettes with structured tailoring to reflect the emotional duality of protection and vulnerability. Rooted in memory and resilience, my garments embody inherited trauma and the loss of innocence. This project transforms personal history into universal storytelling, using fashion as a powerful medium for empathy, reflection, and emotional expression. As a fashion designer, I use clothing for storytelling, threading personal history into each stitch, silhouette, and textile. I explore oversized silhouettes contrasted with tailored structures to reflect the emotional weight and fragmentation of inherited trauma, as well as the duality of protection and vulnerability. Garments reference elements from 1940s children's wear, such as sailor collars and puffed sleeves, to symbolically reconnect with the innocence disrupted by war. This collection isn’t just about garments; it’s about empathy. It’s about learning how we carry the past, consciously or not, and how clothing can become a form of emotional expression and healing. Through materiality, form, and memory, I aim to challenge how fashion engages with heritage, transforming personal narrative into universal storytelling.