Tess Scholten and Britt Messing
Meet our latest Mesure Muses: Tess Scholten and Britt Messing, the best friends turned business partners behind For You Agency.
Long before they became the creative force behind one of the Netherlands’ most dynamic agencies, Tess and Britt were simply two friends sharing a love for culture, creativity, and spotting opportunities where others didn’t. Their friendship naturally evolved into a partnership, and in their early twenties, they took the leap to start something of their own: small, hands-on, and boots on the ground.
From those early days, riding the wave of TikTok’s rise in Europe, they helped brands navigate a rapidly changing landscape and spotted emerging talents on the platform. What started as an intuitive venture during the COVID pandemic has since grown into a major player in the industry, all while keeping that original energy and friendship at the heart of their business. Their business partner Maddie Raedts, also a Mesure Muse, has been part of this new journey, contributing to the growth and vision of the agency along the way.
Photographed in their new Amsterdam office, their style mirrors the balance they bring to their work: Britt in a made-to-measure dark brown single-breasted suit with pleated trousers, Tess in a light beige flannel double-breasted suit with a subtle herringbone pattern. As they put it themselves: “an upgrade” – just like their journey from ambitious twenty-somethings to industry leaders in their late twenties.
You’ve been best friends since a young age and then became business partners. How has your friendship evolved through this, and how has it shaped the way you build and run For You Agency today?
Tess: The friendship came first, and I think that's actually our biggest advantage. We've never had to build trust, because it was already there. What changed is that we've had to learn how to disagree professionally, which sounds simple but really isn't when you genuinely care about each other. We've gotten better at separating the business conversation from the personal one. And honestly, having that foundation means we can be more honest with each other than most business partners ever get to be.
Britt: We literally grew up together, and then we grew a business together on top of that. The friendship shaped the culture of For You Agency more than anything else. We hire people we actually like being around, we care about how things feel on the inside, not just how they look from the outside. I think that comes directly from us. When the foundation of a company is a real friendship, it shows.
Your experiences inspired the book Het perfecte plaatje. Can you give us a sneak peek into what it’s about, and what do you hope readers take from it?
Tess: It's about the gap between what you show and what's actually going on. We grew up in the first generation that really lived their lives online, and there's this enormous pressure - especially for young women - to make everything look a certain way. The book is personal and very real, it's about our own experiences - the good and the bad!
Britt: We hope readers feel inspired, honestly. A lot of young people, just like me back in the days, can feel so unmotivated by all the books and stories about entrepreneurship. We wanted to write something that made you stop and think “Hey, maybe I can also do this!”. Not in a preachy way, but in a way that feels recognizable. If someone finishes it and feels a little more motivation to just go for his or her dreams, that's everything.
As your roles within the company have evolved, has your personal style evolved with it? How do you see that reflected in the way you show up today?
Tess: In the early days, we both dressed pretty boyish - oversized blazers, wide-leg trousers, sneakers. Looking back, I think it was almost subconscious. We were young women trying to be taken seriously in a male-dominated industry, and somewhere along the way we figured that dressing down our femininity would help with that. Over the last few years that's completely shifted. I dress in a way that feels more like me now - more feminine, more grown-up. I stopped trying to shrink into a room and started dressing like I belong at the front of it.
Britt: We used to show up looking like we were trying to fit in with the boys, and honestly it worked at the time - or at least we thought it did. But as the business grew and we grew with it, our style evolved too. For me it's gone in a much more classic direction. Clean tailoring, feminine silhouettes, nothing too trend-driven. I've found a kind of uniform that feels genuinely mine, and I carry it through into my everyday choices now. It's not about proving anything or hiding my femininity anymore - it's just about showing up as who I actually am; a 28 year old woman.
In 2025 you were selected for Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in the Media & Marketing category. What does this recognition mean to you at this stage in your journey, and how do you reflect on how far you’ve come?
Tess: It made me so incredibly proud and thankful of the 23 year old me who has worked SO hard for this recognition. We started this during a pandemic, in our early twenties, with no real playbook. There were so many moments where we just figured it out as we went, and that has been super hard at times. The recognition is lovely, but what it really did was make me appreciate the process - all the unglamorous parts included.
Britt: It means a lot, especially because it's not just about us individually - it reflects the whole team and everything we've built together. I'm proud of our friendship that has gotten even stronger because of this adventure, no one can take this incredible win away from us. What motivates me more than the recognition is knowing there's still so much we haven't done yet and it made me even more excited for the future. This is only the beginning!
How would you each describe your personal style, and where do your styles overlap or differ?
Tess: We actually overlap a lot - there are days where we show up looking almost identical without having planned it. But if there's a difference, I'd say I reach for something with a bit more edge every now and then. A tougher boot, a more unexpected combination. I like classic as a base but I enjoy pushing it slightly. Just like the suit I'm wearing today is a good example of that - classic at first glance, but there's something going on up close if you look for it.
Britt: I’ve been loving the more classic and timeless looks. I’m stealing a lot of items out of my mom’s closet, haha! Combining vintage items with new items, black and white colors, clean silhouettes, quality over everything. I'd rather wear one perfect thing than a lot of interesting things. Where we overlap is that we're both done with fast fashion and anything that feels disposable. We want clothes that actually last - in the literal sense but also in the sense that you still want to wear them in five years.
The Mesure pieces you’re wearing feel timeless but with a modern edge. What drew you to these looks, and how do they reflect who you are, individually and as a duo?
Tess: My suit felt right from the moment I saw it - it has a kind of quiet authority to it. The beige flannel is soft but structured, which is honestly a pretty good description of how I try to be as a leader. I like that it doesn’t feel like a costume, because I will always choose comfort over fashion. It feels like me, just elevated.
Britt: The dark brown suit just feels like something I'd actually reach for on a regular Tuesday, which for me is the perfect item. Made-to-measure changes everything - when something actually fits your body, you carry yourself differently. That's what drew me to Mesure as a concept, it's personal in the way the best things are.
