Isabelle Lenfant
Isabelle Lenfant
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IL concept
‘The most beautiful jewel a person can wear are the arms of the person she loves.
For those who have had the good fortune of finding this happiness and those who haven’t yet, I am here…’ (Isabelle Lenfant, inspired by Y.S.L.)
Transforming everyday objects into precious jewels and imprinting them with life’s sensibility so that they remain engraved in our memory: that is the approach chosen by Belgian jewellery designer Isabelle Lenfant for what she calls her Heart Jewels.
For Isabelle, jewels are highly symbolic: they can evoke a memory, a presence, a sense of protection…
They form a second skin… as well as a suit of armour between the body and the world, shielding it from the inevitable ups and downs that are part of a life lived to the fullest.
As Jeanne Moreau once said: ‘I don’t have much of a memory… but I do have souvenirs’. Jewels are that souvenir…
This jewel tells a story… Isabelle’s dream is that the people who wear her designs will appropriate them and imbue them with their own history, their own symbolism – their life, quite simply – and that they will thus wear… la vie en rose.
Isabelle Lenfant’s initials – ‘IL’ – blend both femininity and masculinity.
The collection ‘IL by Isabelle Lenfant’ reimagines everyday objects, such as a Band-Aid wrapped around a finger or applied on a neck or wrist. A silver or gold diamond, in whose split genuine jewels are inserted…
The branches of a tree to remind us that we are the only solid foundation of our lives…
As Juliette Binoche once said: ‘To dream, you must have your feet on the ground. The deeper the roots, the stronger the branches’.
The pieces in the collection are in 925 silver and in 18-carat gold. Some pieces are set with precious stones such as diamonds or rubies and have been designed in the finest tradition of jewellery design.
An important part of Isabelle’s research focuses on individuality, on the adaptable nature of her designs. The chains can thus be worn in different ways, and those who wear them are thus in a sense continuing her designs. The chains are ornamented with unusual symbols: a set of keys to unlock all possibilities, envelopes that are open to receive a secret, a love letter, a plug and socket to disconnect, smashed watches and their mechanisms to arrest time and live in the present…
The pieces in the collection ‘IL by Isabelle Lenfant’ are a presence one forgets, an ‘otherwise’. They carry us into a world lit up by the beauty of experience, of not-forgetting and of individuality. A world where life is punctuated by three ellipsis points and not a full stop. A world where adaptable jewels offer a blank page to those who wear them and imprint them with their own story, their own secrets, their own symbolism and thus turn the given piece into something unique, in their own image.
Know-how
« IL by Isabelle Lenfant » ART jewels are designed hand-crafted, in the pure jewellery tradition. Made in Belgium and in France.
“IL’s” creations exist in hand-polished sterling silver (925/1000) or charcoal grey oxidized.
Silver is a living matter that individualizes each creation. In time …life tarnishes and oxidizes it….This matter itself symbolizes the concept of uniqueness that is developed thereafter in Isabelle Lenfant’s creations… it consolidates and embraces it.
As “Il by Isabelle Lenfant”’s creations are neither silver plated again nor rhodium… they oxidise in the course of time … If you want them to remain as they are just clean them with a soft cloth or use a product for silver.
Though cut to the quick as if life had already brushed them… the chains are joined together by links soldered by hand.
Lockets are also hand-cut and each of the keys is chipped in a different way … that makes them unique.
Polishing makes it a mirror… reflecting shades and lights…
A large part of Isabelle Lenfant’s search focuses on individuality, on the adjustable side of her creations. Chains can be worn in various ways, in different lengths … what allows the one wearing the jewel to make it his/her own.
The Collection extends to 18 carat gold items, black, white…but mainly pink ones to wear life in another way.
Gold is a matter that time can’t deteriorate. That way it symbolizes the sparkle kept in our eyes despite our own life’s chaos…
Today “Il by Isabelle Lenfant” ‘s creations are set with precious stones, according to the stones symbolic and colours, inside the ring allowing the skin to be in contact with the stone and its qualities
Own desires and secrets could also be engraved…
Custom-made jewels to transform the proposed item into one unique piece reflecting the one who will adopt it….
29 rue vilain XIV Brussels 1000 Belgium
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Komorebi is a new belgian design eyewear brand which stands for transparancy, light and a reflecting design. As a mark to your personality…
hertshage 10 bus 2 Aalst 9300 België
Isabelle Azaïs
Isabelle AzaïsMore Info
Isabelle Azais studied visual Arts at Fine Arts in France, but it’s with the creation of couture and contemporary jewelry that she made herself known. For ten years leather jewelry was her first specialty. Her workshop showroom is accessible to public, in the heart of Brussels.
Since 2013 she focuses on working with recycled plastic.
With packing straps she creates graphic jewelry that draw urban environments on the body, like fro example with the ‘PUBLIC BENCH’ brooch. The jewelry is particularly light, often coming from working sites and building material packings.
The latest collection of big brooches is called ‘Seventh continent’. The jewelry is totally and only made with plastic bags collected in streets. Working on them with heat, she obtains translucid surfaces and floating volumes that recall the world of seabed and corals. This jewelry is to make people aware of urban and marine pollution through a delicate recycling work of valuing waste.”
Rue du Marché au Charbon, 96 Brussels 1000 Belgium
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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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Hoet has launched the ‘Made in Belgium’ 3D laser-printed eyeglasses made of titanium. The 3D technology offers a number of unprecedented options in terms of design and in addition, this technology is eco-friendly – a feature that must not be overlooked.
Design: the front part is made of titanium with an open structure that varies per model. When using only classical production techniques, it is nearly impossible to achieve similar frames. The 3D laser-printed HC collection includes 4 models. For the best possible comfort these eyeglasses are available in various lens and bridge sizes and are equipped with adjustable temples. The models H2 and F2 even have moveable nose pads.
Eco-friendly: This technology produces eyeglasses without creating any waste, while using a very low amount of energy. An additional eco-friendly aspect is that there is no need for the production of stock.
The Hoet Couture eyeglasses are modern and beautiful. Quality and comfort as always are the basic precepts. They are rust-proof and anti-allergic, light, yet durable and well-fitting and each available in 5 size combinations for nose and glasses.
A pair of eyeglasses, custom made and personalized with your own name engraved in the temple!
klaverstraat 71 Bruges 8000 belgium
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About
After reading the book “The Emperor wears no clothes” by hemp advocate Jack Herer, Emilio De Baudringhien got inspired to start a company that would bring this amazing plant and all of its benefits, back to humanity.
Since hemp is a carbon negative crop we strongly believe it can be a key player in fighting global warming… think of it this way: we are growing a plant in 100 days that takes huge amounts of carbon from our atmosphere and stores it safely in the ground, actually increasing the fertility of the soil. After the plant is harvested we can use every single aspect of the plant for a different purpose, leaving no waste. All this with a minimum input of water and nutrients and no use of pesticides and herbicides.
1 acre of hemp takes in 10 times the amount of carbon compared to 1 acre of rainforest.
Emilio doesn’t consider The Ornament Hemp Co. a fashion company since we don’t follow fashion trends or seasons. Instead we see the company as a vehicle to support the hemp movement in all its forms.
Emilio never started this company for money gaining purposes. All of the money that comes in is directly re-invested in creating more products made from hemp to help increase global hemp crop production and help create a world with more durable products made from replenishable crops such as hemp.
At the end of 2017, Emilio set up a crowdfunding campaign to set up his label. Thanks to 110 lovely backers, Emilio got his project funded and was able to take off.
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Fashion is the Extension of Imagination:
Perfectionist, objective observant, sincere and above all spontaneous, Esmeralda has built on her experiences by working with different companies, while always following a positive philosophy.
Please click on the middle crosses for more details.
Born in Strasbourg (France),…
the child of a Spanish artist mother, she started travelling and drawing at a very early age. She lived her childhood mostly between Berlin (Germany) and Conil de la Frontera (Spain) surrounded by various fabrics and paintings of her mother, who was her biggest Muse. The great contrast between both cities of her childhood also enlarged her cultural and artistic mind.
With a desire to discover more cultures,…
she embarked on an international business career in Strasbourg. However, her artistic soul was stirring and thus with no hesitation, she left to Brussels in order to make her dream come true: to become a Fashion Designer.
During those three years studying in Brussels…
she discovered the Art Nouveau, and was integrated into the fashion world. She designed successfully unique creations for the Fantasy Film Festival and for the Bouglione Circus. She also took part in catwalks, and did her work experience in an Haute Couture company in Berlin. Her most enriching experience was her first public fashion show, with her haute couture collection, inspired by Chess game. This was when she realized that being a fashion designer would always be her passion.
She returned to her roots in Barcelona…
and worked for CUSTO BARCELONA. Following her experience at Custo Barcelona, she created a fashion shoe collection for Juba Trading Portugal.
In order to improve her technical and creative skills as a designer,…
she integrated into the team at Levi Strauss Europe in Brussels. After this, she joined the pioneer team in Amsterdam to build up LEVI’S XX with amazing brands LVC (Levi’s Vintage Clothing) and LMC (Levi’s Made and Crafted).
Following her ever-present need for quality growing experience,…
she worked for BVBA 32 in Antwerp for the luxury prêt-a-porter brand, Thimister.
Finally, the moment to explore new challenges arrived…
The dream of an 8 year old girl had to become reality, so, in March 2013, she decided to launch her very own brand,SMARACK.
Since then,…
she has participated in several catwalks and designer tradeshows.
Now,her brand SMARACK and tailoring service continues to grow,…
as builds a powerful reputation in the design world. She is freelancing and consulting other major design brands.
Rue des Chartreux, 48b Kartuizersstraat 1st floor Brussels 1000 Belgium
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The beginning
Antwrp is a Belgian men’s fashion brand created in 2006. Antwrp brings luxurious casual clothes, in particular T-shirts, sweaters, jumpers and shirts in beautiful fabrics. The brand name refers to that unique blend of Antwerp fashion, the vintage scene and the city’s multicultural dimension. Antwrp translates the street culture into original print techniques with unique results. Logos and labels bear witness to the high graphical standards and in particular to the eye for details.
The collection’s designer
Antwrp is the brainchild of fashion designer Wouter Hoste. After graduating at the Antwerp Fashion Academy in 1987, he moved to Paris where he designed Jean Paul Gaultier’s Junior collection. In the early nineties, he returned to Belgium to work for various Belgian fashion labels. Wouter Hoste’s style is very graphical. He may be using remarkable colour combinations, but the overall picture remains coherent. His work sometimes refers to Andy Warhol, one of the artists he admires most. Antwrp is distributed by ARW, the fashion agency which distributes many prestigious and trendy brands.
ATOMIUMLAAN 1 PB 8 Brussels 1020 Belgium
Isabelle Leloup
Isabelle LeloupMore Info
Multiculturelle, née d’une mère vietnamienne et d’un père belge, diplômée en stylisme de la Cambre (Bruxelles), Isabelle crée des collections de bijoux depuis plus de 20 ans.
Après avoir réalisé des parures pour la couture (notamment pour la maison Natan) et des bijoux fantaisie haut de gamme, Isabelle s’est aujourd’hui recentré sur l’essentiel : des matières précieuses et durables, des lignes pures inspirées de ses origines asiatiques, un style inspiré par son goût pour le chic parisien et l’intemporelle classe à l’italienne.
Les bijoux ISABELLE LELOUP sont entièrement réalisés à la main en Belgique par des artisans joailliers, et sont exclusivement en Or 18 carats recyclé et diamants de qualité supérieure (couleur : G et pureté : VS1).
Chaque pièce de bijou est unique.
Office Avenue des Constellations 18 Waterloo 1410 Belgium
Showroom Rue Lebeaustraat 31 (Sablon) Brussels 1000 Belgium
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Power of the brand
binôche is a Belgian brand that prides itself on its roots. Our collections are designed in Antwerp and manufactured in France and Italy. By working closely with our production companies and sharing know-how, expertise and vision we create frames that are as unique as the people who wear them.This year we celebrate twenty years of creating revealing eye-catchers.
Our take on eyewear is what gives our brand its characteristic personality. Our glasses aren’t just meant to improve sight, they’re little works of art.
Wetstraat 67 Antwerpen 2060 Belgium