While putting the finishing touches on his looks at the AM House in Rotterdam, his hometown, we sat down to discuss his extraordinary career – one best characterized by its groundbreaking qualities. Looking back on the last decade, Ronnie Flex (born Ronnel Plasschaert) stands out as one of the first artists to have genuinely crossed over from hip hop into mainstream pop. Having performed on unprecedented stages for an artist with his career trajectory, he has successfully explored a myriad of genres. Always managing to avoid repetition while silencing the critics, especially those who try to pigeonhole him based on traditional expectations. Time and time again, he has proven his ability to forge his own path, defying the odds at every turn.

As we begin our conversation, he explains that most of his artistic motivations, particularly his drive to reach beyond set cultural boundaries, took hold of him during his time as a student at the Zadkine Pop Academy in Rotterdam. There, he learned to envision possibilities far beyond what is typically expected of an artist, developing the insight to always follow his own instincts and desires. He began defining the scale of his ambitions and potential for success on his own terms, with clothing always playing an important role alongside his unique vision as a music artist.

What started with being named Best Dressed Man by Dutch Esquire magazine early in his career evolved into his ability to develop a distinct personal look for any context or occasion. Adapting seamlessly to his surroundings, he consistently creates a style that elevates the moment while also making it his own. And that’s exactly why we collaborated with him to design his formal wear for the extraordinary setting of his three gala shows.

You won the Best Dressed Man award from Dutch Esquire in 2015, at just 23 years old. Which means that, as your music was taking over the Netherlands, you were also gaining national recognition for your distinctive style. What do you remember about that time?

Ronnie: “Funny you should mention that. The award show for that prize had a black-tie dress code, so most people were dressed similarly to the Atelier Munro looks we’ve designed for my Carré performances. But back then, at the event in 2015, I was dressed far from black-tie. I showed up in a designer t-shirt and a snapback cap – that’s just how I dressed at the time. The award itself felt like an affirmation. It was a turbulent time for me, the groundbreaking New Wave album had come out earlier that year, so I was going through a storm of change. But besides making music, I’ve always loved clothes. Having that recognized was pretty cool.

“I’ve actually been trying to express my own style since I was about 15. I decided to just wear what I like. Sometimes that aligned with what was popular at the time, but often it didn’t. Purple skinny jeans, a tracksuit, things like that. That wasn’t necessarily how other people in hip hop were dressing.”

You were also the first artist of your generation to win such an award.

“That whole year ended up being the hottest of my career. That’s still true to this day. I was super popular among the younger generations, which definitely played a role in the award. The nominations were done by the magazine, but the public voted for the winner. So, I activated my fanbase via social media. Looking back, someone like [artist] Dio, who was also nominated that year, might have deserved it even more – he’s a bit older and had a more developed style at the time. Still, I loved receiving the award despite having a distinct style. To this day, that’s something I always value and appreciate in others when I see it, too.”

It’s extraordinary how free you were as an artist, even at such a young age. You were already coloring outside the lines, both in your music and how you presented yourself.

“That’s true, yes. I always tried to be as free as I can, even back then. The Pop Academy in Rotterdam played a big role in that — they taught me how to think outside the box. As a student there, I was surrounded by punk rockers, goths, people with all kinds of styles who were very free and unapologetically themselves. That really inspired me. I’d never seen that up close before, and it made me realize I could just do what I like. Give no fucks about how others see it.”

To embrace your own beliefs without copying others – that’s not a given at a young age.

“For me, it was mostly about being open to the uncommon. Embracing whatever I was personally drawn to, regardless of whether it fit the image of a “rapper.” Like my love for the experimental style of the singer-songwriter Spinvis, for example. Or collaborating with producer Boaz van de Beatz and rapper Mr. Polska, who were also pretty far removed from the usual hip-hop scene when I was just starting out. That kind of thing was rare at the time. I was just following my own desires.
“In terms of my personal style, when I look back from 2015 to today, I find myself much more developed now. Much freer, too. I’m more aware of which elements I can use to create a certain look, and I have a clearer vision of how I want to present myself in different contexts.”

You still go for things that are different from what other people in the Netherlands are doing.

“I wore a kilt in the first TikTok video for my single with Roxy Dekker earlier this year, that did provoke some reactions. But I was just really feeling that look. Coming up with a look like that, for a video featuring a mainstream pop song, somehow that does exemplify who I am as an artist. Kilts are also worn in punk subculture, but the song itself is anything but punk, of course. I love that!

“I do try to challenge myself with clothing. I make an effort to talk to people who know a lot about fashion, who have distinct tastes themselves. In some ways, that’s a continuation of my time at the Pop Academy – I’m still always pushing myself to be open to inspiration from unexpected and unusual sources.”

If you look back on your career as a whole, it makes perfect sense that you’re part of the Vrienden van Amstel Live concert series now. But 10 years ago, that would have been seen as completely outside the norms of hip hop. How do you view that step?

“That also leads back to the Pop Academy. Back then, Vrienden van Amstel Live was talked about as the holy grail of pop, the highest achievement for an artist. I’ve always seen it that way, and it’s long been a goal of mine – in addition to making a lot of albums and getting as many people as possible to listen to my music. I also think of myself as a chameleon of sorts. I’m able to adapt to different environments, and I think I’ve developed a lot in that respect in recent years, too. Vrienden van Amstel has been another important step for me in that process. I released a couple of pop singles this year, and I actually had a couple more planned, but I’ve put those on ice for now. My next album is going to move far away from pop again, so I want to create space for that shift.

“People should never pigeonhole me, musically or in terms of my clothing. I strive to create an image that matches the music, that’s the bottom line. And because my music is diverse, my style has to be, too – while also staying true to my own sensibility, my own sauce.”

To design the looks you’re wearing for your performances at Carré, you’ve ended up here at Atelier Munro, in your hometown of Rotterdam at the AM House. What has been your vision for the show?

“For a while now, I’ve wanted to create a show based on my album Rémi. But I didn’t want it to be a standard performance – I wanted it to feel like a gala. To me, those two elements fit together really well. So, the looks I’ve made with Atelier Munro for the occasion are very classic. Though I’m also going to give them my own twist, of course. My inspiration is Karl Lagerfeld, his combinations of super-formal looks with bold jewelry and accessories. I’ll be showing my personal interpretation of what a festive gala look can be.

“Musically, I really wanted to include strings. I saw Kanye West do that a long time ago when he came to the Netherlands on his Late Registration tour, which he later expanded with a live album accompanied by a complete orchestra. As a kid, I thought that was so cool. To be able to do that myself now feels like a huge blessing.

“For this new adventure, with a formal aesthetic, I’ve developed another new look of my own. Working with Atelier Munro has allowed me to shape that look all the way down to the last detail. It’s all formal wear – one of Atelier Munro’s specialties, of course – but in my own way. Perfectly in line with what I’ve always done in my career, every step of the way.”