SEASON meets: Shanice Van De Sanden on her confidence-boosting suits, preferred pre-match playlist, and being true to yourself

Shanice Van De Sanden (SVDS!) just oozes ‘big suit energy’. Quite literally: a rainbow of oversized menswear suits plus sneakers unite the Wolfsburg and Netherlands player’s most fashion-forward looks, heightened by her bleached curly crop. But it’s not just that, it’s the unapologetic self-confidence and charisma that the 28-year-old radiates on the pitch – she won the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 and eight trophies with Olympique Lyonnais including three consecutive UEFA Women’s Champions League titles – and off it. Chances are, you’ve heard Shanice’s passionate rhetoric on the ‘The Football Podcast’ by We Play Strong, hosted by SEASON favourite Rocky Hehakaija, and in UEFA’s powerful ‘Outraged’ documentary. Exploring how different types of discrimination in football should be tackled, based on personal experiences the game’s biggest names share on screen, Shanice spoke about the sexism female players are still encountering with brutal honesty, urging big clubs to invest in both their men’s and women’s teams.

Who better, then, to represent women’s football in Pepsi Max’s new #FORTHELOVEOFIT campaign beside Leo Messi, Paul Pogba, and Jadon Sancho? In the dynamic short film ‘Fizz to Life’ directed by British Jamaican filmmaker Raine Allen-Miller, posters of the four superstar footballers jolt to life as soon as a student cracks open her can of Pepsi Max. A frantic chase ensues as the players leap, dribble and trick their way through animated posters and magazines around the room to reach the fizzing can first, soundtracked by the Becky G and Burna Boy track Rotate. ‘The shoot day was amazing. Everyone was so happy. You see your own room with your name and then next to my door was Sancho and you think, “Oh my gosh, I’m in a TV commercial with Messi, Sancho, and Pogba!” I really love these players, this is a dream that came true for me for sure and I’m really looking forward to the future,’ Shanice tells me excitedly over Zoom one evening earlier this month.

She is positively glowing and rocking a suit, this time blue-charcoal with a white t-shirt underneath. You’ll notice in the film that the forward wears yet another suit, teamed with a yellow t-shirt and gold necklaces, which creates some really nice synergy between Pogba’s Cadbury purple suit and Sancho’s yellow and blue jacket/hoodie/t-shirt. But Shanice says she didn’t style herself. ‘They had some outfits for me and I really liked it. White sneakers, baby blue suit, some jewellery. It went so fast. I had to do TikToks, runs, I had to jump [in a suit] but it was oversized so it was fine.’

“The industry-shaking significance of Shanice’s inclusion in such a prominent global campaign, as an outspoken, openly gay, fashionable woman of colour who is always true to herself, shouldn’t be minimised.”

By placing the serial winner visually and skillfully on par with three of the best male players in the world right now, the limited public representation of female footballers is stretched even further. It feels like an important crack in football’s glass ceiling in terms of gender equality, even though the 2019 World Cup and 2021 She Believes Cup-winning USWNT frustratingly lost their equal pay lawsuit last year. This highly visible step forward starring Shanice is incredibly inspiring: for players, fans, and actually, all women alike. Hopefully, the stakeholders, investors, gatekeepers of women’s football realise that we really really need more of this.

Ahead of our quickfire Zoom call, and with SEASON zine issue 08’s #GALVANISEOURGAME message in mind, we asked Shanice to send us a picture of an outfit she’s worn that galvanises her and it was surprisingly similar to her Pepsi Max campaign look. Our conversation flow is below – we packed a LOT in.

Felicia Pennant: How would you describe your relationship with fashion?

Shanice Van De Sanden: I love all kinds of things. That’s me. As a person, I’m so open. I think you can see that on my Instagram as well, I look so confident and that’s because of the stuff that I’m wearing. Last week, I spoke to my teammates about it and they said they said, “You look different on Instagram compared to when I met you”. I asked why. “You look so confident on Instagram.” In real life, I’m confident too but… “kind.” I love to wear different stuff compared to other people. I’m an outgoing person so my stuff is outgoing. It’s fun that people think differently when they see you on Instagram wearing different stuff or having a different hair colour. You know what I mean?

Felicia Pennant: You do switch it up. That’s really exciting. Not everyone does or feels confident enough to. Is it self expression? How you’re feeling at that time? Or what’s going on in your life?

Shanice Van De Sanden: I don’t know! I don’t wake up and think, “Oh yes, I’m going to wear a suit’. No, It’s not about my mood. I just wake up and think, “Yeah, let’s wear this’ if I have to do something, take some pictures, go shopping (it’s different now with COVID-19). I don’t really plan my day.

Felicia Pennant: I really like that, I’m completely the opposite. So the picture you sent us [of an outfit you’ve worn that galvanises you] I recognise it because I’ve seen it before. It’s you in this light blue suit, it’s Cold Laundry I believe? And you’ve got Nike sneakers and lots of jewellery. What’s the story behind that look?

Shanice Van De Sanden: I think it’s kind of classy. But also chilling with the sneakers. Normally when you wear the suit you wear classy shoes. But I don’t really like that combination… yeah for a gala or something, but also for a gala, I really like to wear Jordans with the suit. It’s something different to what other people would wear so that’s why I really like that combination. At the moment I’m wearing a suit with Jordans as well. Different colour and different shoes.

Felicia Pennant: Is this your signature? Cause there are so many looks on Instagram. I love the Gucci monogrammed suit and what I also like is that you don’t wear anything underneath. A lot of people would and you’d think that, because you’ve dressed it down with the Nike sneakers, you’d wear a t-shirt. I love that there’s a bit of skin as well.

Shanice Van De Sanden: Maybe it’s crazy but I love to wear some skin. Even when the sun isn’t out, like now.

Felicia Pennant: What is it about suits? As you said, it’s something you wear a lot and I don’t think I recall you ever wearing a dress or a skirt. You’ve made that look your own really.

Shanice Van De Sanden: I don’t know, I’m not really comfy wearing dresses and stuff. I can wear it for sure and I did a couple of years ago. But I think I’m more confident in suits and oversized stuff. When I go to a shop, I always go to the men’s department, I never really shop in the women’s side. It fits me so why not? I have a lot of conversations with some other girls in my team and they say “Oh your outfits are cool” and I say, “ I bought them in the men’s section. Just have a look at it. Maybe you want it one size smaller but it’s cool.” I think a lot of girls really like it but when they hear it’s from the men’s section, you can see that they have to think one more time and then be “Ok, maybe I will try it.”

Felicia Pennant: I think that clothing shouldn’t be defined that way. If you like it, wear it. Actually, if you see it, you can believe it. By you doing it, maybe other people are like maybe I could. They might hesitate but they’ll get there in the end. That’s really cool to hear because suits are quite hard… for a woman with curves and a figure. Women’s suits: the fits can be so awful. Whereas men’s is different. If you like it a bit oversized, it seems like you can just pull it off rack.

Shanice Van De Sanden: Yeah but in a women’s suit you have the curves (gesturing on screen) on the jacket. This suit [I’m wearing today] is also from the men’s, I just take the size medium or small, and then it’s fine. It’s large for me. I don’t think about what people think about what I’m wearing. I just like it myself.

Behind the scenes of the Pepsi Max campaign shoot

Felicia Pennant: I think it’s brilliant, really… I guess that’s a mantra that everyone should live by. We also asked you to pick a song that galvanises you. What’s your choice and why?

Shanice Van De Sanden: I have no favourite song. I listen to everything! But for now, I’m listening to Dutch rap music from Frenna - ‘Dragon Roll’. Just came out. Something like that: I really like that vibe at the moment. I really love Burna Boy as well: ‘On the Low’, ‘Location’ and ‘Yeah’. And don’t forget Drake: I really love Drake.

Felicia Pennant: Are these all songs that you listen to throughout the day? Pre-game? Plenty of athletes have headphones on to get into the zone.

Shanice Van De Sanden: I need music before my game or I don’t get in that vibe. I get so excited when I listen to that kind of music – Broederliefde too, a Dutch group but a kind of afro beat. That beat makes me ready for a game.

Felicia Pennant: Are you moving, dancing…

Shanice Van De Sanden: For sure! I need that!

Felicia Pennant: What kind of myths and stereotypes about female footballers do you think you smash by just being you. Doing what you do. Dressing the way you dress. You are definitely an individual. You don’t conform to the box someone is trying to put you in as a female footballer.

Shanice Van De Sanden: When I see people or (famous) footballers, you always see that they compare [themselves] to each other. They want to look the same and I don’t know why, but in some ways I understand it. Because I know how it is when you post one picture on social media, people always have an opinion. They tell you what they think about it. They don’t think about if it is wrong or if they’re mean. I think that’s why people follow each other in wearing the same clothes or listening to the same music. If you are not really confident or might be scared of what other people think. But I don’t really care about that. I want to be myself and I feel respect from the female players but also from men’s football as well. They text me on Instagram like, “Your style is so dope.”

Felicia Pennant: Like who???

“Memphis Depay, he really likes my style. And Freena text me on Instagram. ”

— Shanice Van De Sanden

Felicia Pennant: That’s so sick.

Shanice Van De Sanden: It’s cool and you can feel the respect from them. That they really appreciate you the way you are when you like girls. Normally, in men’s football, there is not one man who has come out of the closet. But I like girls and I really show on Instagram that I have a girlfriend. I can see and feel that men’s footballers accept who I am. That’s also why I’m confused about why nobody from men’s football has come out. They still have respect for me so why not for your own teammates? I hope this will happen. It can. In women’s football, it’s completely different, you can be yourself. But I hope it will change in men’s football as well.

Felicia Pennant: What is keeping you going in 2021? It’s such a strange time so what brings you joy? Do you have any tips for anyone who’s struggling or just needs some hopeful words?

Shanice Van De Sanden: 2021, It’s not going to stop me with COVID-19 and everything. At this time, I started reading books. I never did this before and you get to know yourself better. Hopefully, in these difficult times, other people start reading books as well, go for a walk or start painting. But we need to keep in touch with each other. With social media, COVID-19, people get angry. Everyone is negative. People get depressed. And I think it’s really important to stay together. It’s easy to say. On the news they say.“We have to do this together” but we really do need to do this together. Otherwise, you will lose each other and yourself. I have been in a moment when I didn’t know who I was anymore. And then I started reading the books and now I got that feeling back that I want to win games and trophies. I started believing in myself again. It’s not so easy, of course, I have some days when I don’t believe in myself. You really need to invest in yourself. Don’t think too much about the future, be in the now and work on yourself. Help your family and your friends. That’s most important for now.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Words Felicia Pennant

Imagery Shanice Van De Sanden and Pangolin PR