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The Chica Chico brand was founded in 2015 by Olga Lazareva and is one of the rare producers of children’s shoes in Belgium that still owns the entire creative and productive part.
All Chica Chico collections are designed in Belgium and produced by hand from A to Z in two factories in Spain and Portugal.
All shoes and linings are made of exclusive Italian and Spanish quality materials, which guarantees a high quality and finish. The soles used are light, flexible and flexible and ensure a high wearing comfort.
All models are handmade with great care and always inspired by the latest trends.
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Our story
Founder and designer
Hi,
I am Evelyne, founder and designer of KUNOKA shoes.
I want to tell you my story from the start and it will get a little personal. I have been in shoe business for many years and I initially worked for Italian houses whose quality products I honored.
However, year after year I saw things change; the business became less lucrative because of overseas competition. Step by step, I noticed that I saw less people in the factories that I visited every year, although sold volumes did not fall back at the same pace. I felt something was not right. I could tell… I know shoes, I know craftsmanship, I know what it should feel like, I know how they should smell…
I had to realize that bit by bit production was outsourced oversees and no one wanted to admit. I started thinking is this what I want to stand for? It kept me out of my sleep and I thought about this for weeks ….
The idea behind the brand
This is the point where I started to play with the idea of creating my own brand that should be fully honest and should have the best possible sustainable approach.
I wanted the environmental impact of my project to be as low as possible and I wanted to be 100% sure that there will be no human cost at my project.
Every KUNOKA shoe is touched by real humans with families and their own set of dreams and I could not bare the idea that someone, somewhere in my project would have to struggle to survive or to feed their children or work in a toxic environment.
This I why I choose to work with a family-owned Portuguese atelier, where I can see what happens, where I know the people and where I can feel and touch every step in the birth of a KUNOKA shoe.
The second advantage of producing nearby is that we exclude the extreme environmental impact of overseas transport. Which brings me to my second concern, environmental impact which is a hard knot to untie in shoe business.
Challenges
I started by developing different prototypes and I wanted to know everything: what are they made of? Can we not change this into that? What is the effect of this? Where does this sole comes from? What is in the sole? Who makes them? How much water does it cost? How comfortable are they? Can they be modern and beautiful enough? – Hey yes, fashion remains my natural habitat and I don’t want to bring another sustainable brand which’ appearance or comfort aspect makes it obvious that the brand is sustainable.
I went on and on and made everybody – including myself – crazy. I was making progress but there were so many uncertainties and more than once doubt just hit me in the face … Would I ever find the courage to finally jump and officially go for this project?
The last of many signs…
I kept on doubting until the memorisable meeting in New York central park, this was the last of many signs I needed. Gabriella KUNOKA, who I did not know until that day, making a remark about the prototype I was wearing at that moment, convincing me that I should go for this beautiful project! Ever since, I realize every day, what I do might not be perfect, but it is not by finger pointing or complaining and sitting still that we will make progress. It is what I actually do what counts. And this is the whole story, this is how KUNOKA was born.
Always striving for the best
We are not perfect; we – and the entire industry – have a long way to go, but every initiative, how small it might look, makes a difference!
And I am proud of how far we have come and of any difference we can make, I guarantee that I will always strive for the best possible sustainable approach and I promise that this is just the beginning!
Let’s be kind to people and be kind to our world.
Love, Evelyne.
Kortrijksesteenweg 1092/G Gent 9051 Belgium
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WELCOME TO
OUR BEAUTIFUL
CHAOS
Essentiel Antwerp stands for refreshing, offbeat & luxurious fashion, renowned for its graphic or floral prints and trendy mixes of color. The rich and unique collections are designed to provoke an emotional response.
STEP INTO OUR WORLD WHERE IMAGINATION AND BEAUTY REIGN, WHERE LACK OF ORDER CREATES A SPACE FOR SURPRISE.
The Antwerp-based brand is influenced by the numerous life experiences of its founders Esfan Eghtessadi and Inge Onsea. Esfan, the son of Nicole Cadine, grew up in a world of textiles, sketches and fashion collections. Inge had a vintage loving mother, was a fashion model and spent five years in India, where she fell in love with colors, prints and unexpected combinations.
WE WANT
TO BE YOUR
PINK PILL
In 1999 Esfan and Inge took a chance and launched a T-shirt collection. Four styles, twenty different colors: their response to the monochrome fashion landscape. After a year, the first store opened in Antwerp. Four seasons later, knitwear, jackets, dresses, shirts, and trousers in trendy colors, new materials, and an entire range of accessories were added. Essentiel Antwerp grew into a global brand with a powerful message of love, fun, and colorful surprises. A universal message that translates anywhere and everywhere in the world.
WE WANT
TO BATTLE
BOREDOM
WE CONSIDER OUR ACCESSORIES AS THE CHILLI PEPPERS IN OUR ALREADY TASTY DISH.
LIFE LOOKS BETTER IN COLOR: STAY CURIOUS AND ORIGINAL TO KEEP THINGS SURPRISING AND CELEBRATE LIFE.
Arenbergstraat 21 Antwerpen 2000 Belgium
Ellen Verbeek
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Story:
ellen verbeek started her brand in 2000, passionated about shoes she went to Italy to the shoe area and got in touch with an artisanal factory, managed by older but very experienced craftsmen who could realise her architectural ideas on shoes.
Shoes are our connection with the earth, the foundation of a human body ! To combine these vulnerable elements with beauty gives a lot of happyness to people. Being stable in your shoes gives already a more secure feeling to people !
Her designs have a strong and recognisable image.
Using architecture and furniture shapes as a base of inspiration was a very interesting horizon to transform this on shoes.
She maintained her line underground, as not willing to transform the collection into a mass product.
The combination of natural materials, original heels in wood and elegant details melts into a strong image. She tries to combine rough and natural elements with feminine details and likes to play with this contrast.
Some heels are sculpted out of wood by hand, thus resulting in beautiful arc shapes which run down to the sole.
Playful and feminine are the keywords characterizing the collection.
With the collection ‘ellen verbeek’ we deliver exclusive quality shoes, advanced design in durable materials and quality workmanship.
Blokstraat 73 Schiplaken 3191 Belgium
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ATELIER CONTENT
Ultra-feminine, subtle yet striking.
Nele Content followed her training at the fashion academy in Ghent and then started working as a designer at various shoe companies.
“Atelier Content reflects my own taste and what I want to wear. I get inspired by everything that happens around me. I don’t make any compromises; I only design shoes that feel good for myself”.
The result is a spirited collection of modern women’s shoes for every occasion. All our designs add a powerful touch to your outfit.
Moreover, Atelier Content stands for top quality with a well-conseived Belgian design! The designer personally selects her materials. The shoes are crafted in Le Marche, Italy, the cradle of quality footwear. In these family studios, the art of shoe making has been passed on for generations.
“My collection is made with love and is timeless so you can enjoy it for a long time. Design, quality and comfort should make them last for years”.
Watermolenstraat 3 Ronse 9600 Belgium
Brabantdam 56 Gent 9000 Belgium
Tim Van Steenbergen
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About
Tim Van Steenbergen
Tim Van Steenbergen graduated Magna cum Laude at the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts (fashion department, textile creation and theatre costume). Subsequently he took classes in drapery and couture techniques and worked as assistant of Olivier Theyskens.
His first collection was launched in 2001 in Paris and in the same year he set up his company Mitzlavv bvba.
Meanwhile he’s up to his twenty third collection/fashion show and the label Tim Van Steenbergen is being sold in the best designer shops all over the world. His style evolves into a refined pureness and female elegance. He is a master of contemporary drapery and every detail, high quality standards, tradition and craftsmanship are being cared for.
Tim designs the costumes for international movie, theatre, dance and opera creations as for Anne Teresa de Keersmaecker, Guy Cassiers and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.
Between 2010 and 2013 Tim Van Steenbergen is creating the costumes for Richard Wagner’s opera cycle ‘Der Ring des Nibelungen’, Teatro alla Scala in Milan and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin.
Nowadays Tim Van Steenbergen is increasingly evolving into a creative lab.
Recent developments thereof are ‘Metronome’, a first light design for Delta Light, an interior fabrics collection in collaboration with Aristide and total interior concepts Tim Van Steenbergen with Boa Interior.
Philosophy
The challenge in my work is the search for authenticity and artisanship in fashion.
The difference between confection and prêt-à-porter or couture is to be found in how it is made.
Handwork, quality of fabric, building a piece layer by layer, differentiates my work from confection.
I’m in search of old values in a new world.
The motivation in my work is to transfer craftsmanship and the old values into different and modern designs.
Due to my belief in artisanship, every garment is created by hand on the dummy to develop its characteristic shape.
These traditional construction process and unique draping techniques guarantee a high appreciated quality and an exclusive collection.
Studio Tim Van Steenbergen
The studio of Tim Van Steenbergen is located in a 19th century mansion close to the historical site of the Antwerp military hospital. An eclectic interior were fashion meets art, historical elements are confronted with design and vintage furniture.
The studio Tim Van Steenbergen is the optimal place to realize his ideas, situated in the pocketsize metropolis Antwerp. This refreshing cosmopolitan owes its reputation to the mighty part, the world diamond centre and its trendsetting vision of fashion.
This welcoming multicultural city-on-the-river the Scheld, is an intelligent, complex, fascinating and surprising habitat with a magnificent contemporary architecture, opera and theatre, monuments and artworks as well as its historical medieval centre.
The home of the Flemish Baroque master Rubens.
The Red Star line company set off its ships on the transatlantic voyage with millions of emigrants who set out for a new life in the States and Canada.
Nowadays Antwerp is one of the fastest growing cultural cruise destinations in Europe.
“Due to its excellent acces, it pushes you to travel the world looking for new impressions and personal experiences.”
“After all it is an attractive place to come home from where you can work independently and with an open minded view on the rest of the world.”
Creations
- ‘Hanjo’, opera, Festival Lyrique d’Aix-en-Provence / the Monnaie Brussels
- ‘Hersenschimmen’, theater , Ro Theater Rotterdam
- ‘d’Un Soir un Jour’ and ‘Steve Reich Evening’, dance, Rosas / the Monnaie Brussels
- ‘Triptych of Power; ‘Mefisto’, ‘Wolfskers’ and ‘Atropa’, theater, Toneelhuis Antwerp / Festival d’Avignon / Théâtre de la Ville de Paris
- ‘The House of the Sleeping Beauties’, opera, LOD / Toneelhuis Antwerp / the Monnaie Brussels
- ‘Adam in Exile’, opera, Opera of Amsterdam
- ‘La Chanteuse du Tango’, movie by Diego Martinez Vignatti with Eugénia Ramirez.
- ‘Prélude à la Mer’, movie, Rosas / Thierry De Mey
- ‘Das Rheingold’, Teatro alla Scala / Staatsoper Unter den Linden
- ‘Blood & Roses, the Song of Joan and Gilles’, theatre , Toneelhuis Antwerp / Festival d’Avignon
- ‘Die Walküre’, Teatro alla Scala / Staatsoper Unter den Linden
- ‘Labyrinth’, dance, National Ballet Amsterdam, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
- ‘Siegfried’, Teatro alla Scala / Staatsoper Unter den Linden
- ‘Götterdämmerung’, Teatro alla Scala / Staatsoper Unter den Linden
- ‘Milonga’, dance, Sadlers Wells, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
- ‘MCBTH’, theater, Toneelhuis / Spectra Ensemble / Vocaallab
- ‘Romeo & Julia’, ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders
- ‘Hamlet’, theater, Toneelhuis / Toneelgroep Amsterdam
- ‘Het vertrek van de Mier’, theater, Toneelhuis / Het Paleis / Kunstz
- ‘Firebird’, ballet, Stuttgarter Ballett
- ‘Passions Humaines’, theater, costumes and set, Toneelhuis / Mons Culturele Hoofdstad
- ‘Xerse’, costumes and set, Opéra De Lille
- ‘Caligula’, costumes and set, Toneelhuis
- ‘De welwillenden’, costumes and set, Toneelhuis / Toneelgroep Amsterdam
- ‘Pictures at an exhibition’, ballet, costumes and set, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Sidi Larbi Charkaoui
- ‘Ma mère l’oye’, ballet, costumes and set, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Jeroen Verbruggen
- ‘Trompe la mort’, opera, costumes and set, Opéra national de Paris
- ‘Grensgeval’, theatre, costumes and set, Toneelhuis
- ‘Movement in Blue’ & ‘Movement in White’, Tim Van Steenbergen X Ashtari Carpets
- ‘Het kleine meisje van meneer Linh’, costumes, Toneelhuis
- ‘Vergeef ons’, costumes, Toneelhuis / Toneelgroep Amsterdam
marialei 18 Antwerpen 2018 Belgium
Jaggs
JaggsMore Info
Chez JAGGS, vous l’avez compris, on fait des vêtements sur-mesure !
Et on ne les fait pas n’importe comment ! Non seulement notre équipe se compose des meilleurs tailleurs, mais en plus nous défendons des valeurs qui nous tiennent à cœur.
C’est ancré dans notre ADN.
De la prise de mesure au suivi de votre vêtement, en passant par un accompagnement personnalisé et des tissus sélectionnés avec expertise, notre objectif est simple : vous guider vers l’élégance.
C’est ce qu’on appelle le JAGGSSTYLE !
Clairement vous voulez en savoir plus sur ce que l’on fait chez JAGGS. Et surtout comment et pourquoi ?
C’est très simple.
Chez JAGGS on s’est fixé une mission : habiller l’homme moderne avec style et dépoussiérer le sur-mesure pour le (ré)intégrer dans le quotidien des hommes d’aujourd’hui.
En bref, on vous propose des vêtements sur-mesure pour rendre votre vestiaire élégant et adapté à votre personnalité. Et pour ça, on met l’accent sur un service digne de ce nom et un accompagnement complet et bienveillant. On est bien conscient que tout le monde n’a pas l’habitude du sur-mesure ; rassurez-vous on est là pour vous accompagner.
Concernant tissus, patronage et confection, c’est très simple : on travaille avec les meilleurs pour vous offrir le meilleur. On ne fera jamais de concession à ce sujet !
Osons le dire : JAGGS s’inscrit dans une approche novatrice.
Sans détour, on dépoussière le sur-mesure pour proposer des vêtements entièrement personnalisables qui répondent aux envies modernes d’élégance.
Notre équipe de tailleurs, d’inspiration anglaise et italienne, vous accompagne dans le choix et la création de vêtements sur-mesure uniques. Elle vous aide à adopter le gentleman style dans toutes les situations.
Que ce soit en fonction de votre morphologie ou d’un désir particulier, le souci du détail ou la recherche d’un confort sans pareil, chez JAGGS on répond à vos attentes.
Avec nos conseils, vous brisez les codes pour créer un style inimitable : le vôtre ! Le tout en conjuguant le dynamisme des coupes actuelles avec le meilleur de la tradition. Tout un programme !
JAGGS a toujours eu comme principe de vendre au prix le plus juste. Au-delà de cette formulation marketing, notre équipe propose un équilibre entre confection européenne, juste rémunération des couturiers et tissus de qualité tout en démocratisant le sur-mesure.
Vous trouvez donc chez nous un costume sur-mesure de qualité dès 690€ ! Et ce prix comprend les prises de mesures, une confection de qualité exclusivement européenne et un choix de tissus parmi des marques réputées telles que Scabal, Loro Piana, Hudderfield …
Une offre complète et un suivi sur-mesure sans se ruiner, what else ?
Créer de beaux vêtements sur-mesure, c’est bien. Créer des vêtements sur-mesure éthiques, c’est mieux ! C’est pourquoi JAGGS s’est engagée à préserver le savoir-faire européen.
JAGGS confectionne exclusivement dans des ateliers européens et proches de nos frontières belges. Nous pouvons de cette manière maintenir un contrôle d’excellence permanent et garder un œil sur les conditions de fabrication.
L’éthique nous tient à cœur. La qualité aussi !
Par conviction, mais surtout parce que nous avons le goût des belles choses, nous avons choisi de préserver le savoir-faire des artisans européens.
Le made in Belgium n’est pas en reste.
JAGGS a choisi d’implanter un atelier de confection sur place, à Waterloo, avec des couturières expertes pour la création de tous ses accessoires : nœuds papillon, pochettes, cravates, boutons de manchette…
Une manière de dynamiser le tissu économique local, de nous inscrire dans un circuit (très) court, mais également de répondre instantanément à la demande. La proximité immédiate avec l’atelier permet la création en temps réel de noeuds papillon sur-mesure.
C’est également dans notre atelier de Waterloo que sont effectuées toutes les retouches de vos costumes.
En 2015 on était 2. Aujourd’hui, on est 10. Et on est (presque) tous sympas !
L’équipe est un savant cocktail d’entrepreneurs, de créatifs et de passionnés.
Mais ce sont surtout des personnes souhaitant transmettre le goût de l’élégance et du travail bien fait !
Chaussée de Bruxelles, 273 Waterloo 1410 Belgium
Rue de la Monnaie, 10 Namur 5000 Belgium
Rue du Collège, 94 Verviers 4800 Belgium
18 Rue de la Chalotais Rennes 35000 France
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Ma démarche depuis la sortie de mes études a toujours été axée sur la qualité, l’innovation au niveau de la technique et du design. Mon intérêt pour les grands créateurs mais également pour la production des équipementiers m’a fait évoluer vers un travail rassemblant les points forts de ces influences. Outre la mode, je me suis également essayé au street art et au design. Pour moi ces disciplines sont complémentaires. C’est pourquoi, on peut caractériser ma démarche en quelques mots : créativité, savoir faire et qualité. J’ai d’abord réalisé plusieurs collections de jeans et de basiques haut de gamme et me dirige maintenant vers une niche bien spécifique, les sneakers exclusives réalisées avec des matériaux originaux et ce, sur mesure.
En conclusion, ce qui m’est propre est le mélange de mes connaissances en patronage, en stylisme et la pratique du sport (Basket)
appliqué à l’élaboration d’un soulier urbain et polyvalent. Un vêtement ou une paire de sneakers doivent, pour moi, être intemporels et fabriqués selon des méthodes “artisanales” qui en rallongent la durée de vie et les rendent réparables (quasiment garanties à vie).
Retro Verso
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About
Welcome to Retro Verso! My name is Charlien and I would love to tell you how this store full of cheerful and colourful clothing was created.
Immediately after I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Fashion Technology, it was itching to start my own clothing line. I could make the rugs myself, but unfortunately there was no budget for a physical store. This online store was created in 2013.
The starting points would certainly be quality and exclusivity – after all, nothing beats seeing people walking around in your self-designed, handmade dresses. In addition, a maximum of 10 pieces were made per model.
There was not much budget for advertising, but I could no longer keep up with the number of requests – especially customization. Unfortunately, manual work does not scale at all and soon I was faced with a real dilemma; outsource production or change tack. For example, I decided to look for colourful brands that I was going to sell through my webshop.
Fortunately, at that time I was able to use a fitting room and some display space in my parents’ shoe store so that my customers could try on clothes. Retro Verso, the shop-in-shop was born. Some time later, it seemed a good choice to leave the building entirely to Retro Verso.
In August 2017, the physical store opened, completely in the vintage style, on top of the web store.
Retro Verso now sells brands that you all know: 4 Funky Flavors, Froy & Dind, King Louie, Le Pep, Mademoiselle YéYé, Sugarhill Brighton, Blutsgeschwister, …
To this day I do everything myself: running the physical store, the webshop, purchasing, accounting, and most importantly for me: putting a smile on people’s faces 😉
Happy shopping!
Greetings,
Charlien
Vrijheidsstraat 1A bus 12 Denderleeuw 9470 Belgium
Filles à papa
Filles à papaMore Info
Lauched in 2009 by Carol and Sarah Piron, the brand FILLES A PAPA has its roots in Liège. The sisters were soon joined by fashion photographer Gregory Derkenne who, beyond his eye for aesthetics, honed the label’s ethos. The duo-cum-trio was quick to understand that fashion and style is a question of identity.
FILLES A PAPA is an attitude, a deliberate rebellious streak and a clothing line in which the word “contemporary” reveals all its paradoxes and sharpness. Postmodern you might add, as this celebration of the modern young woman reflects the cynicism of our time. Behind the propriety of the name [meaning “Daddy’s girls”] lies sharp off-the-peg fashion that attracts boutiques, magazines and it-girls around the world thanks to its offbeat mood and a perfectly calibrated fit with the here and now. FILLES A PAPA offers a very distinctive but daringly different wardrobe.
Emerging through its collections and images, which are produced each season like a manifesto, is the portrait of an heiress who hasn’t forgotten to be a rebel or a rock star who’s made her aggressiveness part of her charm. Fuse, combine, hybridize and surprise, because as philosopher Michel Serres has said, “Nothing makes more sense than changing the meaning.”