Shops selling shoes with a Belgian Twist for women
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The workshops are a moment of sharing where time stands still : a unique immersive experience in a cosy atmosphere where participants return home with a personalised leather piece and a strong feeling of pride 🙂
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Experience is not required. Only good eyes, and your good mood!
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You will find below the calendar of workshops. And at the bottom of the page you have more info & pictures about each workshop.
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Note that we also offer customised and team building workshops. Do not hesitate to contact us 🙂
The Brand
Kinamania is an independent Brussels-based atelier with a passion for leather. We make fine iconic footwear inspired by cultural heritage and revisited with elegance and dare. The shoes are made in Spain and Portugal.
“I find my inspiration in basic footwear styles that have stood the test of time to which I add fashion-forward details. This is my way of reinventing heritage.” Kristina
The brand has two main lines – The Essentials which are timeless collections and The Collaborations where Kristina partners with artists, artisans and craft-based NGOs to put their craft in the spotlight.
Collaborations
Kristina has a deep appreciation of makers and cultural heritage combined with a passion for leather as a primary raw material. Driven by her curiosity and her hunger for discovery of creative works, she collaborates with artisans and artists on her shoe collections and takes great pride in partnering, when possible, with craft-based NGOs that drive real changes in people’s lives.
The founder
Former designer and production director to the Johnny Farah House of leather accessories – between Beirut & NY – Kristina Zouein spent countless hours in artisans’ workshops. As a self-taught designer, this was a very formative experience.
In 2015 and with more than 10 years experience, she decides to create Kinamania, a slow fashion brand of accessories with a balanced mix of humility, sobriety and dare.
Of Canadian-Lebanese origins, Kristina lived most of her life in Beirut, until she met her partner and moved to Brussels a few years ago
A committed brand : Kinamania X Cancer
“In November 2019, I was diagnosed with breast cancer which pushed me to redefine the way I am leading my life and my business. Statistics show that 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, and I was chocked when I learnt those numbers, especially to discover that so many women, like myself, below the age of 40 go through this for reasons that are still unclear. Since then, I have committed to support cancer research.”
Leather and sustainability
Kinamania shoes are made from domesticated animal skins that are raised in agricultural settings and treated in European tanneries that are certified for their environmentally friendly working method.
The European leather industry is at the forefront of the conversation and innovation towards lower impact and circular practices :
+ to reduce chemical usage, water, and waste compared to traditional tanning processes.
+ to make sure that animals from which the hide is used are being treated well
+ to ensure that people who produce the leather are treated fairly
Fun facts to know 🙂
+++ It is through a failed romance with a Spaniard that Kristina discovered the abarca sandal style. This traditional Spanish sandal was the trigger to her shoe brand.
+++ KinaMania is a brand name with roots in ‘menorquina’, the alternative name for the abarca sandal which was originally handmade on the island of Menorca in the Baleares. The mania for Kinas is born from menorquina mania!
+++ The shoes have singer name and the subtitles refer to uplifting songs that align to the Craft Your Day tagline.
+++ The tag line says CRAFT YOUR DAY with two dashes. The two dashes symbolise the craftsmanship and hand-stitched design signature of the Kinamania fine footwear atelier.
Atypical leather-craft workshops
Kristina also offers creative leathercraft workshops combining leather and modern technology.
The objective behind those workshops is that participants personalise a beautiful object – in a warm and friendly atmosphere – and proudly return home with a unique souvenir.
WE ARE OPEN !
In the prestigious Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert, center Brussels !
Kinamania will be here until July 25.
Looking forward to welcoming you!
Galerie du Roi 22, 1000, Brussels
Open Tue-Sun from 11H-19H
Galerie du Roi 22 Brussels 1000 Belgium
13 Bollinckx Street Brussels 1070 Belgium
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Since she was little, Jo De Visscher [°1976] is bitten by the fashion bug. She starts working with scraps of fabric which she turns into full silhouettes for her Barbie dolls and gets her mother to knit matching miniature sweaters.
While growing up, she sews her first skirts on an old sewing machine without having any formal training.
She studies maths and science and, as a teenager, becomes fascinated by an article on the restoration of the frescos in the Sistine Chapel. The article has such an impact on her that she decides to enrol in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, where she studies painting and specializes in restoration of contemporary art. She graduates in ’99, learns the ropes at the S.M.A.K., MuHKA and Kunstmuseum Bonn and finally starts her own restoration company (contemporary art conservation) in Brussels.
She’s asked to collaborate on the exhibition ‘Mutilate?-Vermink?’ — curated by Walter Van Beirendonck — at the MuHKA and this project rekindles her passion for fashion. Jo follows her heart, says goodbye to restoration and hello to fashion and clothing. She does an intensive course in pattern making, learns proper sewing properly this time and studies fashion design at night school. She also freelances for the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp.
In 2007, her final year show generates such a buzz that she decides to design and market her own ‘jodevisscher’ collection.
Hoornstraat 6 Gent 9000
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There once was …
More than 60 years ago, the couple Roger and Simone Decremer-Persoons started the production of luxury slippers in Tildonk. In the 1970s they changed direction: they started a wholesale shoe business and opened a first modest shoe shop under the church tower – the stepping stone to what would later become Carmi. Today the company is led by their eldest son Michel Decremer and his wife Marie-Claire Martens, who have developed Carmi into a beautiful total store for shoes and clothing for the whole family.
Start of a thriving business
The whole story started in 1954, when Roger Decremer and his wife Simone Persoons decided to start their own business. Through a cousin, they came into contact with a supplier that produced rubber soles, and so the idea of making slippers was born. As an engineer, Roger was involved in the design of machines and patterns, Simone chose the materials and drew the designs. The Perro brand – the first letters of Persoons and Roger – was born. Some of the slippers were genuine luxury slippers made from haute couture fabrics, which they were allowed to supply years later to Bally, a well-known Swiss chain of shoe stores. During that period they worked with about sixty people. The entire production took place in Tildonk, in a new building next to the parental home. Today this is still the headquarters of the company, where an enthusiastic team takes care of the accounting, personnel administration, purchasing, marketing, web sales and the warehouse.
From Perro to Shoe Center
Due to the sky-high wage costs, the production of slippers was stopped in 1979. The Perro company, meanwhile a wholesaler in shoes, became an agent for other shoe brands, including Primigi, Bellamy, Gallus, Arima and Arriva. Twice a year the people from the neighborhood could go to the old stitching shop above the head office to buy the remaining slippers and the wholesale stock. An embryonic form of the current Carmi branches, so to speak. Not much later, Roger and Simone opened their first shoe store, the Shoe Center. In addition to Perro’s own slippers, customers found various men’s, women’s and children’s shoe collections there.
Carmi sees the light of day
Under the impulse of their eldest son Michel, the Decremer family again went in search of renewal and expansion. In 1985 they were able to acquire a spacious and well-located building in Zemst. Just outside the center, the former Carpetland building became vacant, with a spacious parking lot. There the first building blocks would be laid for what Carmi is today: the shopping address in the region with more than 300 top brands in shoes, handbags, clothing and accessories under one roof. The opening was an overwhelming success. Michel: “In a press campaign we announced that the first five hundred visitors would receive a barbecue as a gift. There has been a long queue from early in the morning. It was a bull’s eye.”
The offer is expanding
About five years later, Werner also joined the business, after which the two brothers continued to build on the success of Zemst. In 1988 the store in Tildonk was closed and moved to Korbeek-Lo: the second Carmi was a fact. And in 2002 a third branch was opened in Aubel in Wallonia. Initially, Carmi only sold children’s, women’s and men’s shoes, but afterwards also a limited range of casual wear. About fifteen years after the start of Carmi, the range was expanded to a full-fledged clothing collection.
Family business pur sang
In the 1990s, the Decremer family opened four Mephisto stores in Brussels, Antwerp, Hasselt and Knokke. And there is also the Kid children’s shoe store in Leuven, and the Gabor shops in Ghent and Knokke. The Carmi’s in Zemst and Korbeek-Lo have since been repeatedly renovated and enlarged to accommodate the increasingly extensive range.
At the end of 2016, Werner and his wife Kathy, who had been in charge of the marketing department for a dozen years, decided to take their careers in a new direction. In the meantime, Elke and Jan, the children of Michel and Marie-Claire, have also started in the business.
Everything starts with the customer
A great deal of attention is paid to service and customer-friendliness in the training of sales personnel. “Whatever you buy, at Carmi you can count on personal service. Our experienced employees are always ready to give the appropriate advice. And we notice that the customer is asking that more and more. Our saleswomen and salespeople regularly attend refresher courses at the various brands. In this way they can guide the customer even better with his purchase”, says Michel. “The role of the Carmi team is very important. We try to surround ourselves with the best people, in the stores and also at our administrative services and in the warehouse in Tildonk. Our after-sales service is also supported by two experienced master shoemakers, which is an enormous added value for the customer.”
Finger on the pulse
Marie-Claire, Michel, Elke and Jan are also in the shops as much as possible, in order to keep in touch with the customer. “We only exist thanks to the customers and you have to earn them every day,” Michel says. “Hence the wide range of more than 300 top brands for women, men and children at Carmi and the largest possible range within each brand. The customer really has to find everything in the store. Only then is a visit to a Carmi store worth the trip. The webshop also sells the entire range of shoes, slippers, handbags and accessories. We keep our finger on the pulse when it comes to fashion. Brands come and go, and we have to be very vigilant that we have the right offer at the right time. Because our customers come to us for their favorite brand. It is our job to ensure that we have it in-house.”
Social engagement
Right from the start, Carmi has consistently drawn the card of social engagement. With the Senden Home shelter in the Philippines, there has been sponsorship for many years amounting to 2% of the turnover of the children’s shoes. In 1997, a permanent partnership was started with Natuurpunt Oost-Brabant. Since 2012, Carmi has also provided support to the Kenyan Ilkujuka in Loïta Hills. An initiative that was followed in the sector and we applaud that at Carmi: the more of these types of initiatives, the better.
Carmi through the years
Today Carmi has been around for 32 years. We take you on a journey through time!
1954 Start production luxury slippers
1972 Establishment of wholesaler
1976 Opening of Shoe Center Tildonk schoenen shoe store
1979 Stopping slipper production
1985 Opening Carmi Zemst
1988 Opening Carmi Korbeek-Lo, closing Shoe Center Tildonk
1995 Opening of the first Mephisto Shop in Brussels
1997 Opening Mephisto Shop Antwerp
1999 Opening Mephisto Shop Hasselt
2001 Opening Mephisto Shop Knokke
2002 Opening Carmi Aubel
2011 Launch of the Carmi webshop
2015 Opening Gabor Shop Ghent and Knokke
Brusselsesteenweg 129 Zemst 1980 Belgium
Tiensesteenweg 8 Bierbeek 3360 Belgium
Het Modehuis
Het ModehuisMore Info
Het Modehuis wants to offer you a complete outfit that guarantees a refined ’total look’ without losing sight of the necessary wearing comfort: from casual chic to classic with a twist to the more innovative, from size 34 to size 46.
Het Modehuis would like to receive you in a stylish and inviting setting where we enthusiastically pay attention to the necessary service. During those unique shopping moments, the gentlemen in the group can find what they are looking for in a wide range of reading material in our lounge corner and/or be inspired by the periodic works of art by Absolute Art Gallery.
As a board member at the Duvel-Moortgat family brewery, Veerle Baert knows better than anyone how to run a company with passion. In the past, she earned her spurs in the world of journalism and was one of the founders of Weekend Knack magazine, the very first lifestyle magazine in Belgium.
Her daughter Elke Baert studied Fashion Design at the famous Istituto Marangoni in London. During her graduation year in 2010, Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD) selected Elke as one of the fourteen most promising fashion students in the country. The French fashion house Chloé and high-end men’s label Pierre Talamon were also convinced of her talent. In 2013, Elke realized her dream and launched her own fashion label Furore.
The Furore brand made a new start in 2019 with the acquisition of the Belgian fashion company MFD. In view of the international market, they named their new company since then Flanders Fashion Design International (FFDI).
Our mission
With its fashion, Het Modehuis wants to pay tribute to an inner appearance and sees fashion as an extension of someone’s personality. A select choice of brands and silhouettes should pay tribute to your character, appearance and/or message that you wish to use and thus to externalize within the framework of your professional framework and/or daily active life as a self-confident woman.
Since every woman is unique, we feel called to pay tribute to the design language of everyone’s body without having to sacrifice wearing comfort. Or as Coco Chanel has said before: fashion must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury!
Opening hours
Closed on Mondays
Tuesday: only open by appointment
Wednesday: only open by appointment
Thursday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday: 10:00 – 18:00
Sundays and public holidays: closed (unless otherwise announced)
Xavier de Cocklaan 37 Sint-Martens-Latem 9831 Belgium
Emanuelle Lebas
Emanuelle LebasMore Info
70S EYEWEAR COLLECTIONS WITH A TWIST
“Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot … and my own grandmother. They are the sources of inspiration for the eyewear collections I designed,” said Brussels award-winning designer Emmanuelle Lebas. Somewhat surreal collections consisting of 27 frames: 20 optical and 7 sunglasses, in different colours, shapes and materials. And inspired by iconic women from the 70s.
“In my childhood memories, I see my grandmother and her sister as iconic women with large glasses. I admired them, just like the stars of the 60s and 70s. I want to pass on that iconic look to all women over the age of 25,” says designer Emmanuelle. “Because you have to admit: such glasses give you personality.”
NOT TOO FEMININE
The names of the glasses also refer to icons from the 70s or to some of Lebas’ loved ones – Brigitte, Jessica and Maria are just a few examples. The frames are made from sustainable cotton and metal, and available in different round, rectangular, small and large models. You can also choose from multiple colours: turtle print, transparent pink, malachite green, orange, nude, gold…
“The focus of the collections is on women – although there are a few unisex models – but the glasses are deliberately not too feminine,” according to Lebas. “I did not want the collections to be too chic, but to be one with a great eye for detail.
ID DESIGNER EMMANUELLE LEBAS
The Belgian designer Emmanuelle Lebas graduated in 2013 as a fashion designer at the Academy of La Cambre in Brussels, after which she immersed herself in the art of making shoes and accessories. She gained experience working with Belgian fashion designer Cathy Pill, clothing brand Cheap Monday and French designer Robert Clergerie, with whom she collaborated to further strengthen her unique vision of the sculptural shoe. Her collections have already been sold through the American Opening Ceremony label.
AWARDS
In 2012 Emmanuelle won the Codefrisko/PURE prize for her collection “If you bring the water, I’ll bring the matches”. A year later she won the Weekend Fashion Award with a collection inspired by both the Serena Williams wardrobe and the ancient Greco-Roman sculptures. Long dresses with a sporty touch. A mix of past and present.
For her creations Emmanuelle Lebas commutes between Brussels and the French capital.
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Made & More is a Belgium based online store dedicated to sustainable fashion and transparency on who, and how was made your garment. Through the brands we choose, we want to offer an alternative to fast-fashion for conscious consumers.
WE BELIEVE…
Fashion being one of the biggest industries, we believe that changing the way we consume can bring big changes. Made & More was born because we strongly believe in a proper and sustainable way to consume fashion. We want to give you the opportunity to wear amazing and special fashion apparel. We believe the key is to think about how we buy and what we buy.
Do you know where your clothes come from?
The fashion industry is glamour and fascinating, but also one of the most polluting. Tons of pesticides used, water polluted and wasted and thousands of workers exploited everyday to produced more, faster, at lower cost. Talented worker, artisans, designers are though making every day fashion. We shouldn’t stop buying clothes, but we can ask ourselves how we buy and what we buy.
Sustainable & transparent
There are several ways to bring fashion sustainable. Through the fabrics (organic cotton, reclaimed fabrics, recycled wool, …), through the place of production, through the savoir-faire, through the choice. Made & More carefully choose every brand. Each of them decided to keep their production close, in Europe and to be honest, proud and fully transparent on the way they produce.
“MADE IN” HERE
Because we think transparency goes with honesty, you will find on each brand and article its origin, where it was produced, who is the designer.
There are names, faces and stories.
Each brand we choose has this little something: fine jewels design, recycled fabrics (recycled wool, recycled denim, organic cotton, …) apparel made of reclaimed materials, small production. They all in their way have this ethic twist, making the brand different. At the end, being a conscious consumer, the relation you will build with the garment becomes much more rich than with any other!
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Our Story
THIRON is an Antwerp-based shoe label that presented its first shoe collection in the winter of 2014. His love for fashion inspired Industrial designer Guy Thiron to create his own shoe label. THIRON is known for it’s timeless designs with a fashion-forward sensibility. Sophisticated details in high quality materials characterise the collections, all of which are finished in renowned factories.
THIRON is distributed in the best boutiques in Belgium and internationally in respected stores.
Sint-Antoniusstraat 2 Antwerpen 2000 Belgium
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CONCEPT L’HEROINE
“l’héroïne is dé exclusieve pioniershop die als eerste Belgische ontwerpers in de armen sloot, een speciale band met hen ontwikkelde en passioneel speurt naar nieuw talent”(Weekend Knack). Meer dan 25 jaar geleden bracht Martine Goethals een groot deel van de toen onbekende Antwerpse 6 naar Brugge. Het waren ontdekkingen die ondertussen van jong talent zijn uitgegroeid tot internationaal erkende topontwerpers, zoals Dries Van Noten,Ann Demeulemeester of Martin Margiela.Ondertussen vonden de volgende collecties hun stek bij “l’héroïne : AF Vandevorst, Christian Wijnants, Tim Van Steenbergen, Annemie Verbeke, Just In Case, Frankly, Mooiloop, Fine Collection, Sarti, Zengi, Wouters & Hendrix, Annelies Timmermans en Monsieur Maison. Deze tijdloze maar vernieuwende stijl is eigen aan l’héroïne. “l’héroïne” is een hedendaagse heldin: een sterke persoonlijkheid, geen fashion “victim”.
noordzandstraat 32 Brugge 8000 Belgium
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SUITE – GHENT
At Suite, you are offered the time and space you need to complete your wardrobe with exclusive pieces which strengthen your personality and view of life.
Cutting-edge fashion and personal service in a relaxed and intimate interior: Suite had represented the love for slow fashion since the very beginning.
Carefully composed into a consistent and balanced ensemble, the Suite collections focus on craftsmanship and authenticity. Behind every collection stands an exceptional designer with powerful ideas and a unique take on ready-to-wear fashion. Convinced that beauty lies in the detail, Suite allows no room for mass production or excessiveness. Screened for cut, quality of materials and origin, the featured collections all contribute to a timeless story in which fashion embodies so much more than thoughtlessly adapting to fleeting trends.
Combining established and respected designers with fresh emerging talent, founder Lut Soens never fails to experiment. Minimalism and avant-garde are the key values on which Suite is based.
The interior, designed by architect Glenn Sestig, reflects the Suite principles. Warm colors and soft materials tuned Suite into the perfect environment where creative women can develop their personal style on their own terms. Do not expect imposed make-overs from Lut: with considerate advice she will assist you in finding those pieces that align perfectly with your personality and views. Her professional and no-nonsense approach guarantees sustainable choices, respecting each woman’s individuality.
At Suite, you are offered the time and space you need to complete your wardrobe with exclusive pieces which strengthen your personality and view of life.
Hoogpoort 59 Gent 9000 Belgium
La Bottega
La BottegaMore Info
BIJ LA BOTTEGA OMARMEN WE MET VOLLE GOESTING EEN NIEUWE WERELD VAN POSITIVITEIT, DIVERSITEIT EN INCLUSIVITEIT.
EEN WERELD WAAR WE SAMEN WERKEN AAN EEN BETERE TOEKOMST, EEN GEZONDERE PLANEET ÉN GELUKKIGE MENSEN.
WIJ BESPRENKELEN GRAAG HET LEVEN MET EEN PORTIE VITAMINE LA BOTTEGA: BOORDEVOL KLEUR, EEN TIKKELTJE EIGENZINNIGHEID, NATUURLIJK HELEND, PURE LIEFDE VOOR SCHOONHEID IN ALLES EN IEDEREEN ÉN EEN ONMISKENBARE DOSIS POSITIVITEIT.
HEB JIJ JE PORTIE LA BOTTEGA VANDAAG AL GEHAD?
#GARDENOFHOPE
ENJOY THE LA BOTTEGA EXPERIENCE
Paardsdemerstraat 9 Hasselt 3500 Belgium