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Ma première collection, je l’ai faite pour un marché de Noël à Jodoigne, le petit bourg où j’habite. Cette collection avait suscité de l’enthousiasme autour de moi, un vrai démarrage sur les chapeaux de roue !
Quand je repense à ces tout débuts, j’ai parfois la nostalgie d’une démarche très libre, instinctive, parfois bien téméraire face aux obstacles techniques.
Il s’agissait alors de chapeaux pour tous les jours, en polar, en velours, en lainages, même en tissu d’ameublement…
J’ai pu me sensibiliser aux formes et aux volumes et ainsi découvrir leur effet plus ou moins harmonieux
Très vite j’ai eu envie de créer un autre type de chapeau… Des chapeaux d’été et des chapeaux plus sophistiqués et originaux pour les mariages.
J’ai pu dénicher çà et là quelques moules à chapeau dans des brocantes… Utilisant « à défaut » seaux en plastique d’un diamètre correspondant à celui d’un tour de tête, plats en bois… Jusqu’au jour où j’ai eu l’opportunité d’acheter un lot entier de formes à chapeaux dans une maison de mode qui fermait…
Au fil des années, j’ai élargi la gamme de mes ressources… Passer du travail du para sisal, au tissu sisal, au visca, rami, buntal et bien sûr aussi découvrir le plaisir de « tirer des feutres » en hiver… De challenge en challenge, j’ai reculé mes limites techniques, consultant au besoin des modistes confirmées pour recevoir aide et conseil. C’est ainsi que j’ai appris la teinture, le travail du crin, de la toile élastique et de la sparterie, la maitrise des apprêts aussi…
Quand on me demande quel est mon style, j’ai souvent du mal à répondre… Oui j’ai mes goûts personnels et aussi ma patte, ma sensibilité. Néanmoins plus que mon style à mettre en avant, je me sens au service du style de ma cliente… C’est très moteur pour développer ma créativité de rencontrer les femmes qui porteront mes chapeaux… Tant de personnalités avec chacune, bien sûr, leurs palettes de couleur, morphologies de tête, de visage, de silhouettes. Créer chaque fois pour quelqu’un d’unique est un exercice permanent et donne un supplément d’âme à mon travail.
Dès mes débuts, j’ai travaillé avec un statut « d’indépendante complémentaire » compatible avec mon travail d’infirmière. Grâce à quelques expositions, j’ai eu mes premières clientes ensuite le bouche à oreille a fonctionné….
Ce dont je suis fière :
De la couverture du vogue américain, d’avoir été dans les coulisses par mes créations de certains grands mariages belges, de quelques expos-ventes à Paris (Carré rive gauche), mais par-dessus tout, ce dont je suis la plus fière ce sont tous les retours positifs de mes clientes qui me partagent par une photo, un petit mot, un coup de téléphone leur bonheur d’avoir porté une de mes créations…. C’est vraiment cette reconnaissance là qui dynamise mon travail !
Ce que je pense de l’avenir de ce métier.
Malgré la crise économique, je crois en l’avenir de notre métier. L’histoire de la mode témoigne qu’en temps de crise plus que n’importe quand, les créateurs sortent leur génie !
J’aime le slogan de la Grande Bretagne d’après guerre: « Go ahead, get a hat !». S’habiller avec recherche et fantaisie comme un acte de résistance aux difficultés et à la morosité ambiante !
Notre époque est intéressante dans la mutation qu’elle traverse… Nous sommes en occident inondés de textiles de fabrication asiatique….Une production qui n’est pas que « bas de gamme » mais qui est néanmoins marquée par la mondialisation et la production de masse. Dans ce contexte, l’article personnalisé, le « supplément d’âme » d’une pièce artisanale a de l’avenir ! J’ose croire que la crise économique va nous pousser à consommer moins et mieux…
En habillement, les accessoires ont de beaux jours devants eux….
De nouvelles attitudes se développent : telle la démarche de recyclage …et dans cette mouvance un concept qui m’est cher, le concept du « réchauffé ». Ce concept n’a rien à voir avec celui du « seconde main »….Dans le «seconde main », l’objet en passant de main à main perd de sa valeur… Le concept du réchauffé est tout autre chose… Il s’agit d’une réappropriation d’un vêtement pour en faire un autre … Ce processus donne une plus value créative à l’objet qui est revisité et réinvesti dans un cycle de vie…J’aimerais pouvoir développer ce concept plus particulièrement pour mes chapeaux d’hivers, une ligne « streetwear » poétique…
Rue de la Grande Montagne 5 Jodoigne 1370 Belgium
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THE STORY
A Belgian twist on atypical fashion
You’re the woman who knows what she wants. Big dreams don’t scare you. In fact, they push you to be bolder. You know what makes you you and are not afraid to show it. At Awardt, we encourage you with the right accessories. As a Belgian female-powered brand, we’ll make sure you have the right, atypical bag, hat or scarf to match your unique soul.
Atelier Zennegatvaart 17 Mechelen 2800 Belgium
Shop Adegemstraat 3 Mechelen 2800 Belgium
Escuyer
EscuyerMore Info
Our Story
Escuyer is the destination brand for anyone who appreciates well-crafted items for men.
Escuyer’s vision is a simple one; we aim to be the go-to destination for men who are looking for functional and esthetic accessories. And for the proverbial man who has everything Escuyer provides the perfect gifts!
Our mission is to offer simple, necessary, beautiful and qualitative accessories that will enhance men’s daily dressing experiences. When using our accessories we want men to feel confident because they know they are wearing a unique piece made by the best craftsmen in Europe.
– Concept –
Escuyer offers subscriptions of socks, t-shirts and underwear for men who want more free time and quality basics.
WHY
At Escuyer we believe that most men prefer to do other things with their free time than go shopping for basics.
The name Escuyer comes from ‘Esquire in old french. As in the Middle Ages the squire was there to help the knight, today the brand Escuyer is there to help men by offering them quality essentials and more free time.
HOW
Escuyer is more than a conventional underwear brand.
We offer men an internet-based subscription program that makes buying premium quality basics easy. By choosing a subscription you will save precious time and continually have fresh basics delivered at regular intervals.
Escuyer does not only offer a selected range of well-designed basic apparels, we also introduce our customers into a particular world with our own lifestyle, culture and interests.
WHAT
Escuyer’s essentials are designed to be elegant, simple and perfect for everyday use.
We offer a unique internet-based subscription that will allow you to save precious time and continually have fresh basics in your drawers delivered at 3, 4 or 6-month intervals. If you prefer not to subscribe, Escuyer‘s items can also be bought individually.
The extra free time can be used to read the diverse topics on our website as well as experiencing them in reality.
– Product –
Escuyer basics are elegant, simple
and functional.
Our basics are made of the finest cotton, which makes them very soft and comfortable. Perfect for the guy who appreciates the mix of a quiet, clean aesthetic and top quality.
Escuyer is designed in Brussels. We handpick the best quality cotton from South America and produce our accessories at a great family-owned factory in Portugal.
– Brand Identity –
Escuyer’s brand identity
has been selected as one of the best identity
of 2014 by the Design Museum of London.
As its name suggests, Escuyer is dedicated to serve and facilitate the life of the busy working & entrepreneurial man.
Modern Practice has created a visual solution based on the heraldic system. This typographic reinterpretation of heraldry is not only strongly linked to Escuyer brand’s name, but also conveys the brand’s world.
While the “typographic heraldry” stands for Escuyer’s refinement, its multiple variations translate the flexibility and adaptability of the brand towards its customers.
Escuyer and Modern Practice have been nominated for “Designs of the Year 2014” (Graphics’ category) by the Design Museum in London.
Basicsneed Sprl Rue Africaine 2 Brussels 1050 BELGIUM
City Sport Caps
City Sport CapsMore Info
The
City Sport
Story
WHEN VICTOR DECLERCQ,
a leading fabric trader, got the idea to set up a cap mill, he could never have foreseen the success his company was to experience 100 years later.
He founded his company, together with his wife Marie Olivier and seven craftworkers from Diksmuide.
At heart, Victor was a born trader who upheld the traditional principles of a well-groomed gentleman. He was renowned for his big pointed moustache that was manicured every day by a private barber.
Over the years, CITY SPORT became an established name for high quality caps as an exclusive fashionable accessory for the discerning gentleman. The company has always offered a wide variety of caps in exclusive styles and fabrics.
The fourth generation now reaps the rewards of the preceding generations and is now preparing the future, however without losing contact with the family traditions and creativity.
The City Sport cap is now exported to all European countries, and even to Canada and the USA. But the spirit and production still lies in Ardooie, a small village in the neighbourhood of Bruges.
CITY SPORT caps, quality caps since 1898.
Meerspoort 33 Oudenaarde 9700 Belgium
Oscar Delghuststraat 60 – L4c RONSE 9600 Belgium
Gillis Modistes
Gillis ModistesMore Info
La Maison Gillis, a boutique of both class and character, is situated in the historic centre of Brussels.
Founded a century ago, it has preserved the techniques and the savoir-faire of its ancient milliners.
It is here that Sylvie Gauthier will offer her advice and make a hat to your taste and ultimate satisfaction in the adjoining workshop (studio).
Some of her creations can also be seen in Paris, Lille and London.
Additionally, la maison Gillis makes hats for the theatre, advertising, movies and historical re-enactments.
17 rue du Lombard Brussels 1000 Belgium
Kristof Buntinx
Kristof BuntinxMore Info
Brussels designer Kristof Buntinx has already created a furore with his God Save the Queens shirts and gained international fame with a boxer short collection with which he targeted Russian anti-gay laws.
Protest and irony are therefore no strangers to Buntinx, but he also dresses Belgian celebrities in little bespoke gems just as much as he has children photographed as superstars. The exiled Sint-Truiden native has been working under his own label for more than a decade. An official introduction is called for!
Kristof Buntinx was born on 10 September 1975 in the Limburg town of Sint-Truiden. He quickly showed an interest in fashion and design and proceeded to draw from a model and attended sewing and pattern design classes. Buntinx completed internships with several major fashion labels such as Levis jeans and the Amsterdam fashion duo Viktor & Rolf.
His own image language
After his initial designs for the Cinderella Shop in Antwerp he sank his teeth into (and left his fingerprints on) a series of coffee mugs for Godiva. Soon Buntinx would tackle hats, a trick he was able to repeat in 2012 for Royal Ascot.
Shortly thereafter, the Pain clothing line followed, with its own photo series in collaboration with Stijn Vanorbeek. Still inspired by the world of image creation, Buntinx worked with filmmaker Ilke De Vries, this time to explore moving images. The film Vision was the result, in which the designer searched his own conscience by referring to a personal crisis.
Artist’s blood
Between 2008 and 2010 Buntinx focused on hats and a full line of accessories.
Triggered by his own life and personal developments, language associations and puns took up an increasingly important place in his work. Like any true-blue artist, Buntinx also creates from an inner drive. “I have always been crazy about fashion, but designing also proved to be beneficial for my mental health. It is my “therapy with a capital T,” the designer states.
Once Buntinx found his way, an increasing number of opportunities came up: in 2011 the Toga 125 Fashion Awards and a fashion show in which his design Ceci n’est pas un Advocaat shone. That same year Modo Brussels, the MIAT in Ghent and Hong Kong Design week also followed. A prominent fashion watcher from the UK even called Buntinx the most eccentric fashion designer of the Modo Brussels event.
The future is now!
Loved by the international fashion blog scene, Kristof Buntinx does not shun controversy. For example, he came up with a series of socially committed designs such as his answer to the Antwerp rainbow controversy, the God Save the Queens T-shirt’, his Russian boxer shorts, which even reached the American media and the crown jewels for King Philip.
During the last festive period Buntinx surprised friend and foe with a range of crisis jewellery, which questions material luxury. The Christmas dresses designed by Buntinx for Dana Winners’ Christmas tour and for Marlène de Wouters, the presenter at the Queen Elisabeth competition earlier in 2013, were, on the other hand, downright luxurious.
Kristof Buntinx certainly aims to let his designs speak for themselves in 2015.
Stay tuned!
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Nederlands
Wie zijn we?
Bel&Bo is een Belgisch familiebedrijf met meer dan 90 winkelpunten verspreid over heel België.
Onze kledingketen staat voor een complete collectie kledij en accessoires, voor de volledige familie en voor iedere stijl.
Kleur primeert in onze filosofie
De Bel&Bo collecties zijn altijd kleurrijk, met een grote keuze aan tinten en nuances, zodat ieder persoon het model en kleur vindt die haar of hem past.
Dankzij wekelijkse leveringen hangen er bij ieder bezoek nieuwe artikelen, bovendien is er om de 14 dagen een volledig nieuw kleuraccent in de winkel.
Aangenaam winkelen
Winkelen bij Bel&Bo is in een aangename sfeer een outfit samenstellen, uit de laatste trends en zonder twijfel. Het is de garantie voor een optimale kwaliteit aan de laagste prijzen. Wij combineren goed humeur met een hartelijk verkoopsteam en persoonlijke, aangename winkels.
Advies bij uw aankoop
Onze verkoopsters zijn speciaal opgeleid in stijl- en kleuradvies om jou te helpen kiezen en combineren. De gepaste outfit en kleur doen wonderen!
Kwaliteitscontrole
We hechten heel wat belang aan de kwaliteit van onze producten, want Bel&Bo staat garant voor kwalitatieve kledij aan een voordelige prijs.
Eerlijk en duurzaam ondernemen
Bel&Bo neemt ook haar verantwoordelijkheid voor mens en milieu, eerlijke handel is de norm.
BeCommerce
Bel&Bo is lid van BeCommerce, de Belgische Vereninging van de bedrijven die actief zijn in de online verkoop. De website van Bel&Bo is gebonden met de gedragscode van het BeCommerce kwaliteitslabel.
FRANCAIS
A propos de nous
Qui sommes-nous?
Bel&Bo est une entreprise familiale belge implantée dans plus de 90 points de vente en Belgique.
Nous proposons une collection de vêtements et d’accessoires pour toute la famille et pour tous les styles.
Une enseigne colorée
Les collections Bel&Bo sont toujours colorées, avec un large choix de teintes et de nuances, afin que chacun trouve le modèle et la couleur qui lui va.
Tous les quinze jours, une nouvelle teinte fait son apparition dans les magasins. Une bonne raison d’aller régulièrement y jeter un œil!
Un shopping agréable
Faire ses achats chez Bel&Bo, c’est s’amuser à composer des tenues, sans hésitation et selon les dernières tendances. C’est une garantie pour une qualité optimale aux pris les plus bas. Nous vous accueillons avec bonne humeur grâce à nos équipes de vente, dans nos magasins agréables et chaleureux.
Conseils lors de vos achats
Nos vendeuses ont suivi une formation en conseil couleurs et style afin de vous aider à choisir et à combiner vos tenues. La tenue adéquate et les couleurs en mettent plein la vue !
Contrôle qualité
Nous attachons beaucoup d’importance à la qualité de nos produits, car Bel&Bo s’engage pour des vêtements de qualité à prix abordable.
Entreprise durable et équitable
Bel&Bo se sent responsable pour l’humanité et l’environnement, le commerce équitable est la norme
BeCommerce
Bel&Bo est membre de BeCommerce, l’association belge des entreprises actives dans le domaine du e-commerce. Le site de Bel&Bo est donc soumis au code de conduite du Label de Qualité BeCommerce.
Theo Nuyttenslaan 5 Deerlijk 8540 Belgium
Elvis Pompilio
Elvis PompilioMore Info
1987 was the starting point in the career of the hat designer Elvis POMPILIO. From a simple show room to boutiques in Brussels, Antwerp, Paris and London and worldwide distribution: major Department Stores in America (Bergdorf, Saks, Bendel, Barneys, Neiman Marcus …), the best Boutiques in Europe and a network of points of sale in Japan including Takashiyama, his business has expanded very quickly to an annual average production of 30.000 hats, hand made.
He skilfully styles the heads of celebrities from all over the planet : Madonna, Amelie Nothomb, Blondie, Lio, Harrison Ford, Mickey Rourke, Arielle Dombasle are regular clients, as well as members of the royal families of Great Britain, Norway, The Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium. Appointed Officier de L’Ordre de Léopold II, his work can also be found alongside Amelie Nothomb at the Grevin Museum and he works with Chanel, Mugler, Feraud, Céline, Bikkembergs, Anteprima… on their Haute CoutureJ and ready-to-wear collections.
He has moved in another direction when he ended these activities and concentrated on a Boutique-workshop in Brussels (which retained the styles he is known for: Knitted hats, Adaptable Hats as well as many one-off creations).
After a Pop Up store in Paris in Maria Luisa’s boutique in the Printemps department store together with a Wedding collection in the same surroundings and a period of intense collaboration with Anne Demeulemeester and also Veronique Leroy, Véronique Branquinho and Axelle Red he recently decided to give another twist to his career by closing his shop and exploring the more artistical side of his personality while coming retruning to his roots with a new show room together with his work shop on Avenue Louise 437 at 1050 Brussels.
2014 might see him as designing costumes for an Opera, creating a table for San Pellegrino , or expanding his business in Shanghai and doing many other things (e.shop) while keeping open collaboration with his designer(s) friends and creating hats for the Queen of Belgium.
AVENUE LOUISE 437 Brussels 1050 Begium
Delphine Quirin
Delphine QuirinMore Info
The trunks belonging to Delphine Quirin’s grandmother were veritable treasure chests when she was a child. The dresses, suits and costumes that they contained would later go on to provide the future designer with an important source of inspiration. And already as a child, hats stood out above everything else as a thing of wonder.
History of Art studies completed later in life at the University of Liège left Delphine with a real store of data and a clear preference for the talents of artists as diverse as Vermeer, De La Tour and Edward Hopper.
After training as a fashion designer, Delphine set up her own design business in 1996 and started creating her first hats – unique and tailor-made creations essentially to accompany formal dress. She then opened a shop in the historic centre of Liège and continued to create the framework for what would soon become not just a business but an expression of her personality. Being open to a wide range of influences, she soon discovered knitting and this then gradually become her preferred production technique. She really played a trump card in Paris in 1999 when she drew attention to a mini-collection of gloves and scarves – and of course hats – created out of mohair and boiled wool.
Delphine had found her niche! She was now creating regular collections, and presenting and selling them at large trade fairs in several European countries, as well as in the US and Japan.
By following her instincts and desires, Delphine has reached her goal. She has elevated the hat back to its rightful position of elegance, saving it from the stagnation of long-produced designs. She has made it a practical and light daily accessory that can be worn in all circumstances. Delphine’s hats are a subtle mix of colours and designs, reflecting our own contemporary mix of cultures and ideas. And although they do not follow ephemeral fashion trends, they are in tune with the world around them and each piece tells its own story
Delphine is proud of her Liège roots and refuses to use industrial production methods. Her hats are made using traditional techniques by a small team of knitters, embroiderers and seamstresses, enabling her to oversee all the production stages, and at the same time, to take meticulous care in order to ensure that all of her knits are perfectly finished.
26, rue Pierreuse Liège 4000 Belgium