Heimweh
HeimwehFounded in 2010, HEIMWEH is a luxury men’s undergarments collection that embraces high quality, extreme comfort and timeless design. The name of the brand translated means longing for ones home or country, in this case a nostalgic feeling of missing something that we can’t bring back, or maybe can… The illustrated logo is a trigger to reflect the good old days; positive sensations connected to places, a smell or objects; a phase in time , someone we loved or still love…
Sandro Faber, founder of the collection explores the boundaries between innocent, sometimes naive, and rational side of his character. Brought up by a family of croatian imigrants and moving back to his parents homeland at young age resulted with an exploration of his sense of belonging to a certain place and question what and where is ones home.
The combination of sharp social realistic aesthetics, and poetic, playful nature that he draws from his Slavic background results in an unique character of his collections.
ACHTERLAND VOF Toekomststraat 22 Antwerpen 2140 Belgium
ABOUT CESAR
In addition to being a model, food lover, traveler and proud author of my two cookbooks Model Kitchen and Cesar’s Kitchen and the travel guide Trippin, I have launched the Cesar Casier Knitwear Collection. While growing up, I was always surrounded by fashion. My mom owns a high-end fashion boutique “OONA” in Ghent and my stepmom is a fashion designer. They were my biggest influencers and shaped my views on fashion while growing up, the logical next step was to start my own collection.
100% MADE IN BELGIUM.
KNITWEAR COLLECTION
The Cesar Casier Knitwear Collection is 100% made in Belgium, something that is very rare nowadays. Everything I design is produced in a small family owned factory located in Sint-Niklaas, a city between Antwerp and my hometown Ghent. Fact is that back in the days there were about 300 factories located in this area and now there are only two left, a sad reality. Therefore, it is important to support the revival of Belgian knitwear as much as possible!
GENDER NEUTRAL FASHION
Next to my roots, my brand represents Gender Equality. A human right I hold dear and it is something I stand for. I translate this into my designs, as they are mostly unisex. I want my brand to lead the way in gender-neutral fashion. In my opinion, gender no longer dictates the way people dress and it does not force anyone into a box. That is why I try to design as much gender neutral pieces as possible, this allows us to express ourselves exactly the way we all want to. My designs are timeless, comfortable and basic, yet fashionable and with an eye for detail and great quality
CHARITY
I’ve always loved nature and even more, the animals who live in it. That’s why, for every sold item on my website, I’ll donate 1 euro to a charity. For my previous collection I’ve donated money to help save the dolphins, The Great Barrier Reef and the Giraffes in the wild. By donating money to a good cause, I want to send awareness to the public about the beauty of nature and to support animal and nature welfare!
Hubert Frere Orbanlaan 629 Ghent 9000 Belgium
Buissonnière
BuissonnièreBuissonnière: the unique story of a Belgian family passionate about fashion
Buissonnière is a Belgian clothing brand that focusses its activity on core values such as family, authenticity and joie de vivre.
Buissonnière is also an exclusive brand: the company develops and creates its own collections that are sold only in its own shops and on its website.
The philosophy of Buissonnière from day one has been to offer a coordinated, refined, high-quality assortment with a continual focus on using natural materials to make clothes. Its collections meet the current needs of families, respect their budget and adapt to every event.
1983: The origin of the brand
30 years ago, Myriam and Christian became the proud parents of a baby girl, Laurence. Myriam, who had always dreamed of having a daughter, could not find high-quality clothing to dress to her according to her taste at affordable prices in the shops. She therefore decided to make the pretty clothes she wanted for her baby herself.
1985 Buissonnière is born!
The little outfits Myriam makes are an immediate success with her friends and family. In 1985, along with her husband, they go all in and decide to create, together, a first collection for children called “Buissonnière”. The family business is launched!
1989: Opening of the first store
After some private sales at friends’ homes, Myriam and Christian quickly develop the brand. Initially, their children’s playroom serves as their first shop. In 1989, the first real point of sale opens in Wavre.
1990-2009: Development of the collections
Over the years, the family grows and Laurence has three little sisters. The Buissonnière clothes also develop: first clothing for babies and children, then a line for teenagers, and finally adults.
2010: Launch of the e-commerce website
Buissonnière follows the trends and adapts to new technologies; in 2010, the brand opens its online shop which has since grown steadily and allows families in many European countries to finally purchase Buissonnière clothes from their own homes as well.
2014: Official purveyor to the Belgian royal court
Since its creation, the brand is known for the refinement of its clothes and benefits from the confidence of the Belgian royal family. The title of Purveyor to the Court was granted in 2014 by King Philip.
2015: Buissonnière celebrates its 30th anniversary
Although multinational chains currently dominate the ready-to-wear market, Buissonnière maintains its presence and desires to preserve its know-how and values of creativity and quality. It is still and always has been a small Belgian family business: the second generation has arrived and is infusing the brand’s development with dynamism and modernity.
But Buissonnière is more than the story of a family. It is the story of passionate young people who did everything to realise their dream of creating a clothing brand to dress every generation in perfect harmony with the current fashion trends.
143 Boulevard de l’Europe Wavre 1300 Belgium
Kortrijksesteenweg 1119 Ghent 9051 Belgium
Engelse Wandeling 2 A-B bus 12 Kortrijk 8500 Belgium
Wezembeeklaan 118 Kraainem 1950 Belgium
Dries Van Noten
Dries Van NotenBiography
Born in Antwerp in 1958, Dries Van Noten is the third generation in a family of tailors. At the age of 18, Dries entered the fashion design course of Antwerp’s Royal Academy. On graduating, he began to freelance as a consultant designer before starting his own collection of menswear in 1986. Since its beginnings Dries Van Noten has presented collections for women and men for Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter each year. He
celebrated his 50th fashion show in 2004 and 100th fashion show in 2017.
In June 2008, the Council of Fashion Designers of America honoured Dries Van Noten with its International
Designer of the Year Award. 2014 began with the grand opening of Dries Van Noten, “Inspirations”, a first
ever exhibition featuring his designs and influences at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Another
configuration of the exhibit moved to Antwerp in 2015. In July France decorated Dries Van Noten with the
honour of ‘Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.’ In October 2016, Dries Van Noten wins the Culture
Award from The Province of Antwerp for his contribution to Culture.
In June 2018 Puig entered the capital structure of Dries Van Noten as majority owner. The designer remains, over the long term, a significant minority shareholder and continues his role as chief creative officer and chairman of the board.
2019 saw Mr Van Noten collaborate with world renowned fashion designer Mr Christian Lacroix on his
collection for Women, Spring/Summer 2020. In June 2020, and September 2021, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has again nominated Dries Van Noten for its International Designer of the Year Award.
Q&A with dries van noten
When did you know that designing clothes was your path & passion?
There was a certain logic to my choice as my family had been involved in fashion and the garment business for generations. My father created one of Belgium’s most innovative retailers of ‘Pret-a-Porter’ and my grandfather was a tailor. I inherited my love of garment making, its traditions and rituals, from these men and my mother. Family immersed me in the craft and skill of fabrics, impassioned me with the power of flair and style for women and men that fired my quest to explore and question the subjectivity of “beauty” and the role it would play in my life. My family was very supportive and encouraged me to continue its fashion tradition. I regularly accompanied my parents to Paris and Milan on their many buying trips for collections. Though they had imagined I might take over the retail business, that I was passionate to become a fashion designer came as a great surprise to them.
What is your design signature?
I see a garment as a singular item of excellence that is part of a larger story told, firstly, within a designer’s vision for a collection and ultimately as part of the final wearer’s expression of their style through their wardrobe. My joy is to create a garment that fuses and balances beauty, craft and function, a garment that can perform well and continue in time to become part of life’s story. I enjoy juggling with colours, textures and light in a way that evokes rather than provokes.
Where do you come up with your best ideas?
The spark of inspiration for the narrative a collection rarely ever comes in the same way. The initial idea can sometimes come quickly and remain constant throughout the design process… occur on a walk in my garden, encountering a painting or the life and work of an artist. It can be something rarefied or ordinary, for example, suddenly looking at something that has surrounded me every day and seeing it in a different way that inspires. It can be a photograph in a book or a magazine, a re-read passage in a loved book, a conversation with friends or my design team or a piece of music. For other collections the story is more of a journey, deliberate, considered, and evolves through time and the design process. Anything can be that spark that ignites the creative process. What I have learned is that one recognises the spark when it happens, it may not be too planned, be ‘of its time’ and is more emotional than cerebral.
Is there a difference between style and fashion?
Of course, style comes from within..
What colour or fabric would you never use?
None actually! Often, challenging myself to work with colours, fabrics, or forms that I have disliked and bringing them into a collection can be an important aspect of the creative process.
What is beauty?
The idea of beauty is supremely subjective and very personal. Time also plays a role when our view on what is beautiful to us evolves. A flower, a building or a garment can be a thing of wonder for one while leaving another completely indifferent. What was beautiful to us even recently may be ugly today. Luckily, all designers have their own eye on and language of beauty.
What is ugliness?
It resonates in the same way as beauty for me. It is exciting when the formerly ugly becomes beautiful.
Timeline
- 1981 Dries Van Noten graduates from Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp
- 1986 Dries Van Noten started his first own collection of menswear after working as a freelance consultant designer
- 1989 Flagship store opens in Antwerp, Belgium
- 2004 50th Show
- 2007 Paris store opens at Quai Malaquais, Paris France
- 2008 Dries Van Noten wins Internation Designer of the year at CFDA awards./ Dries Van Noten Sacred “Royal Designer for Industry” from the RSA Trustee Board in London
- 2009 Flagship store opens in Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan/ Stores opens for the men at Quai Malaquais, Paris, France
Dries Van Noten Induction to The “Galerie Des Eminents” By The Flemish Chamber Of Commerce (Voka)
Dries van Noten is gifted a gold medal by The Flemish Royal Academy of Belgium
Dries Van Noten Is Honored With the “Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion” By the Couture Council of the Museum at Fit In New York - 2010 Dries Van Noten Is Invited To Preside Over the 25th Edition of the “Festival International De Mode et De Photographie” of Hyres, France
- 2013 Olfactory portrait by Frederic Malle with The Nose Bruno Jonanovic
- 2014 xhibition at The Musée Des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, France
A book that accompanied his exhibition at Musée des arts Décoratifs in Paris, France - 2015 Dries Van Noten is decorated by Jack Lang of the medal
Opening of Dries Van Noten Osaka - 2016 Wins Culture Award from The Province of Antwerp
- 2017 An intimate portrait into the life, mind and creative heart the designer
A book in two volumes that depicts and documents his first 100 collection and Fashion shows
In recognition of his career as fashion designer and his contribution to the Cultural life of his native land - 2018 DVN enters in partnership with Puig as Major Stakeholders
- 2019 Collaboration with Mr Christian Lacroix
- 2020 Nominated by The CFDA for International Designer of The Year Award
Stores opens in Shanghai, China
Flagship stores opens in Los Angeles, USA the first Dries Van Noten store in the Unites States of America
Godefriduskaai 36 Antwerpen 2000 Belgium
GIUSEPPE VIRGONE
GIUSEPPE VIRGONEThe creation of a contemporary cloakroom including silhouettes both raw and poetic for the man. The dark colors, which have an important place in this cloakroom, are counterbalanced by the openings andforms created.
The superposition of materials brings a heavy side to the silhouette of the
GIUSEPPEVIRGONE man.
Every collections are designed and produced in Brussels. GIUSEPPEVIRGONE always tries to use fabrics from destocking. Prints are made in Netherlands.
Since 2017, the brand collaborates with the Belgian photographer Antoine Grenez for the prints and the pictures.
I have many sources of inspiration both musical, photographic and theatrical.
I particularly appreciate the director Romeo Castellucci who likes to work
on the decadence of beauty and the mystery of the end. I could also mention the singer Soap & Skin, for its heavy and captivating music, or the artist Anthony
Goicoela, for his work on male identity in search of his place in society. I collaborated with him for two collections.
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
Raf Simons
Raf SimonsBORN NEERPELT, BELGIUM IN 1968.
GRADUATES IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN AND FURNITURE DESIGN IN 1991 AND STARTS WORKING AS A FURNITURE DESIGNER FOR GALLERIES AND PRIVATE INTERIORS. BEFORE THIS, RAF SIMONS INTERNED AT THE DESIGN STUDIO OF WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK, WORKING ON THE PRESENTATION AND DECORATION OF THE VAN BEIRENDONCK SHOWROOMS AND COLLECTIONS.
IN A RADICAL CHANGE OF PROFESSION, HEREBY ENCOURAGED BY LINDA LOPPA, HEAD OF THE FASHION DEPARTMENT OF THE ANTWERP ROYAL ACADEMY, HE BECOMES A SELF-TRAINED MENSWEAR DESIGNER IN 1995 AND LAUNCHES HIS RAF SIMONS LABEL.
DESIGNS THE MENSWEAR OUTFITS FOR RUFFO RESEARCH (SPRING-SUMMER 1999 AND AUTUMN-WINTER 1999-2000).
OCTOBER 2000, RAF SIMONS IS APPOINTED HEAD PROFESSOR OF THE FASHION DEPARTMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED ARTS, VIENNA, AUSTRIA UNTIL JUNE 2005.
WINS FIRST PRIZE SWISS TEXTILES AWARD, LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND IN NOVEMBER 2003.
PRESENTS ‘RAF SIMONS REDUX’, A BOOK BY PETER DE POTTER AND RAF SIMONS (PUBLISHED BY CHARTA/FONDAZIONE PITTI DISCOVERY) COINCIDING WITH HIS LABEL’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY. ‘RAF SIMONS 1995-2005’, A FASHION/ART EVENT AT THE GIARDINI DI BOBOLI IN FLORENCE, ITALY (INITIATED AND PRODUCED BY THE FONDAZIONE PITTI DISCOVERY, JUNE 2005) EQUALLY CELEBRATES HIS FIRST DECADE IN FASHION.
NAMED CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF JIL SANDER (MENSWEAR AND WOMENSWEAR) FROM JULY 2005 UNTIL FEBRUARY 2012.
APRIL 2011, RAF SIMONS IS PRESIDENT OF THE FASHION JURY OF THE HYÈRES 26TH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF FASHION AND PHOTOGRAPHY.
CURATES TRANSMISSION 1, A THREE-DAY MULTIDISCIPLINARY EVENT IN BERLIN INITIATED AND SPONSORED BY MERCEDES-BENZ IN JULY 2011.
APRIL 2012 – NOMINATED ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF CHRISTIAN DIOR FOR WOMEN’S HAUTE COUTURE, READY-TO-WEAR AND ACCESSORY COLLECTIONS. RAF SIMONS PRESENTS HIS FIRST HAUTE COUTURE COLLECTION IN JULY 2012.
LIVES AND WORKS IN ANTWERP, BELGIUM.
The most important message Raf Simons wants to communicate is:
PRIDE IN INDIVIDUALITY.
Fuelled by his love for both rebellious youth cultures and traditional menswear, he emerges in fashion halfway through the nineties, presenting a radically different image of masculinity. Fusing the energy and singularity of teenage subcultures with the sharpness and precision of classical sartorial craft, the look presented by Raf Simons is both inspired by and designed for confident outsiders.
From the first collection on, music, art, performance, images and words have a substantial role in the whole package, summing up, or rather clarifying the kind of world Raf Simons wants to project. Always at the core of his universe (and as essential as the clothes themselves) are attitudes, moods and statements about individuality and independence.
Equally important in Raf Simons’ approach is the constant quest for innovation. The designs are always looking for the now and tomorrow, even if they are inspired by historical or classical references. Throughout the years, with the signature style evolving and maturing, the key elements stay the same: modern proportions, a constant research for fabrics and textures and above all the interplay of pure construction and new shapes with the body and psyche of the contemporary man.
Kristof Buntinx
Kristof BuntinxBrussels 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!
We first invite you to make an appointment so we can sit together and see what your expectations and desires are. Would you fancy a tailor-made suit for one person or for more? A made to measure shirt to go with that or some accessories? We then take your measures and we make an appointment for a first fitting. Depending on your wishes, this will take about … (?) If there are some modifications necessary, we happily make an appointment for a second fitting. You see, we leave nothing to chance: your suit has to feel exactly right for you and only you.OUR AIMMethod of Operation…we provide style and quality designed to fit your body perfectly: we sculpt the fabrics of your choice around your body. Tailored with attention to detail at an affordable price: we’ll make sure your pockets are still deep enough to put your wallet in afterwards.We fine-tuned our family tradition of craftsmanship in tailoring to a modern day and age. Social media, apps and selfies changed our digital footprint forever… but not our necessity to dress and look well. After all, you never get a second chance for a first impression.When was the last time you wore something that seemed to be made just for you? We combine our skills with quality material to bring you an out-of-body experience. Or at least the experience of what is just outside of your body.Our StoryCustom-madeCafé Costume Because…philosophy . . . .
HEAD QUARTERS Dendermondestraat 44 Antwerpen 2018 Belgium
emiel banningstraat 11 Antwerpen 2000 Belgium
rue léon lepage 2 Brussels 1000 Belgium
brabantdam 135 Gent 9000 Belgium
leiestraat 20 Kortrijk 8500 Belgium
Albert Leemansplein 11 Brussel 1050 Belgium
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.