Zoë Love has spent a lot of this summer wandering around Amsterdam with a camera.
No grand destination necessarily. Just walking, looking and paying attention. To the gable stones and ornamental ironwork above our heads, the harsh shadows that appear when Amsterdam gets some actual sun, and the people becoming their summer selves around her. At home, she has been engraving glass for a project with Amsterdam Museum. On her bike, she has mostly been listening to demos of her own upcoming EP.
It feels fitting for someone whose creative life has never really stayed in one lane. Zoë moves easily between acting, music and an ongoing fascination with photography, but curiosity seems to be the thing connecting it all. Looking closely, trying things, collecting references and staying open to what might appear along the way.
For our second chapter of The Art of an Endless Summer with Samsøe Samsøe, we caught up with Zoë somewhere in the middle of it all. We talked about easy mornings and immaculate festival vibes, summer dressing that prioritises comfort without sacrificing a little sexiness, collecting stones from summers past, finding inspiration closer to home and paving the way for the right things to find you.
Maybe chasing summer is beside the point. Sometimes it is better to let it find you.
Who are you when the sun comes out?
I switch between having the urge to day drink with friends, strolling around, or laying low and hermiting, working at home or in the studio. I love walking around the city and watching people be their own summer selves.
There’s an extra appreciation for the city when the sun comes out, but the urge to explore other places grows quickly too. I think I’m a little more open in summer.
Summer has a way of slowing everything down. What’s your favourite ritual this time of year?
I go for matcha almost every morning at Morning Owl, then I usually stroll over to the gym to do some yoga, Pilates and/or Qi gong. In summer I often start my day quite early because it’s easier when it’s already light outside.
My days vary a lot, but taking an easy morning carries that feeling of ease into whatever I have ahead. These past few weeks I’ve mostly been wandering around the Binnenstad taking pictures and engraving glass at home for an exciting project with Amsterdam Museum.
The engraving has become quite a ritual. It’s really nice because you have to be there in the moment to do it well. Just like taking pictures, you have to stay open to what’s around you for your eyes to catch it.
What’s been soundtracking your summer lately?
Honestly, I’ve been listening to the demos of the upcoming EP I’m making with May quite obsessively. If you ever see me biking, nine times out of ten I’m listening to myself.
We’re having a release party on September 3 at Theater de Richel and it kind of feels like I’m preparing to finally give birth.
Other than that, MOODSWING COWBOYZ has been coming up a lot still, and I’ve been into the album PURITY by Anysia Kym and Tony Seltzer. Often I’ll just put my likes on shuffle though.
Summer in Amsterdam feels different. What’s your favourite thing about the city this time of year?
It feels a bit calmer, I think. People are often away on holiday and there seems to be less tourism.
I don’t know, it’s just vibes. The sun shows the city in such pretty light. The shadows are harsh, and I like that too.
If we had 24 hours in your Amsterdam, where would you take us?
The options are endless, really.
We could go for coffee at Morning Owl or Latei, then to FOAM or Huis Marseille for a little inspiration. We’d grab a sandwich and a bottle of wine at FILT and maybe walk around the city for a bit. We could go over to Athenaeum Nieuwscentrum or Damn Good Records.
We’d pass by my place to get some swimming stuff and go near Niemandsland to hang out for a bit. For dinner, we could go to Stacks Diner or get a pizza at Il Sogno.
There’s almost always something happening somewhere in Amsterdam in summer, so after that we’ll just see how we feel and where to go. I don’t have many standard going out places anymore. Tips are welcome
The best wardrobes are built over time. What’s one piece you’ve owned for years that you still find yourself reaching for every summer?
It’s actually bags. Not only in summer, but for some reason even more so in summer.
They carry all my summer essentials and somehow make even the easiest outfit look cute.
Samsøe Samsøe designs pieces to be worn again and again. What makes a garment something you’ll keep coming back to?
Obvious answers maybe, but comfort, fit and versatility.
Comfort comes first, though.
When you’re getting dressed for a festival or a long day in the city, what are you looking for?
I want to be comfortable and still, if not sexy, at least look a bit cool, hahaha.
Some pieces you can just throw together and have an instant fit while feeling like you’re in PJs. Obviously I want to be able to move freely and not get annoyingly sweaty.
I like to have as little on me as possible. Maybe one extra layer I can put in a comfortable bag.
This collection draws inspiration from memories made outdoors and the little mementos we collect along the way. Is there an object you’ve held onto that always brings you back to a particular summer?
I have multiple stones collected from different places I’ve been to, like Curaçao, where my dad is from and where I met my love when we were filming a movie.
I also wear a necklace that carries an angel made by Tijmen IJsendijk and the letter R for Reiky. It reminds me of the summers with him, which were always very cinematic and eventful.
Festivals are often where we discover the unexpected. What’s the best thing you’ve ever stumbled upon at one?
Have you ever stumbled upon a vibe so immaculate that it just carries you?
Where you feel so much love in the moment, everyone is dancing freely and all you can do is smile and give in to the music?
That. Best thing.
Where have you been finding inspiration lately?
Lately, in the city’s gable stones and ornamental ironwork. In philosophies. Through other creatives doing cool things. Stories of the world and conversations with friends.
I’m also always very drawn to symbolism.
Who’s your everyday herø?
Always my mother, always my lover, always my friends and the one I see in the mirror every time I wake up.
Complete the sentence: This summer, I’m chasing…
Success, growth and connection. Paving the way for the right things to find me.
For an Endless Summer
An endless summer is made up of the things we carry with us. Clothes that become old favourites, objects picked up along the way and pieces that somehow find their way into one memory after another.
Before we let Zoë go, we asked her to choose the Samsøe Samsøe pieces she wants to live in now and keep reaching for long after summer is over.
Discover Zoë’s selection for an endless summer.
Partnership with SAMSØE SAMSØE
