Annette Kölling
Annette Kölling
More Info
Annette graduated 2007 at the Royal Academy of fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium.
Since then, she has worked for major fashion and design houses within Europe.
After living eleven years abroad, Annette moved back to Germany in autumn 2013.
Settled in Berlin she is expanding her ladies shoe collection internationally.
LETTESTR.4 Berlin 10437 Germany
Dries Van Noten
Dries Van NotenMore Info
Biography
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
More Info
A TALE OF BEAUTY AND BELIEF
Laar 29 Aartselaar 2630 Belgium
River Woods
River WoodsMore Info
River Woods is an international and authentic lifestyle brand for the whole family, reflecting strong values as friendship, family values and the sheer joy of living!
River Woods’ origins lie in a bygone era, the North-Eastern American lifestyle served as a source of inspiration for the creation of the brand. Translated into a commercial and contemporary collection, River Woods since then evolved into a brand offering casual and city collections for the whole family. Men, women, boys, girls and even babies and newborns, the whole family can dress in River Woods.
The key factors of the growth and succes of the brand are a strict adherance to quality and a keen and exclusive distribution strategy. Through high-level multibrand stores and the well-known River Woods Company Stores, River Woods has put itself on the map.
The origins: An inspiring era
The wind blows through the lush crowns of the majestic oak trees of North Eastern America. This is the era of true friendship and strong values. This is the era of the origins of River Woods: authentic sportswear which embraces family, solidarity and the shear joy of living, and reflects the spirit of the true North-Eastern American lifestyle.
The beginning: Birth of River Woods
It was the 6th of December 1995 when four friends signed for the realisation of a mutual dream: their own fashion brand. By combining their years of experience and knowledge in the fashion sector, River Woods was born.
From Belgium to…: First menswear collection
On the 6th of January 1996 the trading began with the introduction of a Menswear Collection. Thanks to its strict adherence to quality and the perfect translation of the authentic American sportswear to the European market, it was an immediate hit. In fact, the brand began with an exponential growth in Belgium, The Netherlands and France.
New launches: Introduction of Women’s and Kids collections
The success of the Menswear Collection quickly lead to the introduction of a complete range of clothing for Women and Kids. River Woods became a brand for the whole family.
First Flagship store: Creation of River Woods Baby
Following the successful debut of the Women & Kids collections, in 2000 the River Woods Baby subdivision was created. This year the first River Woods Flagship store opened in Wijnegem Shopping Center, near Antwerp. River Woods continues its expansion through new partnerships throughout Europe …
Manufacturers & Distributors: The story of our success
As of 2001 a rapid expansion of the brand throughout Europe is established with a keen distribution policy. Focusing on high-end multilabel stores and the by now well known exclusive River Woods Company Stores has proven to be a recipe for succes.
New agreements: Footwear and River Woods stationary collection
In 2005 the license agreements for a River Woods Footwear collection and a River Woods school stationary collection are made.
Global Expansion: River Woods’ network
By now, River Woods has established a solid distribution network throughout Europe, and is ever strengthening its worldwide position by expanding its network outside Europe. It is now present in 22 Countries in the World : Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, The Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and USA.
First RW Kids Store: New Opening
On the 23rd of January 2011, River Woods opens its first dedicated RW Kids store, at Wijnegem Shopping Center near Antwerp.
RW Casual Chic: New Opening
On the 29th of July 2011, a second River Woods Casual Chic store opens its doors in Knokke, Belgium. It offers exclusively the contemporary River Woods Ladies’ collection, and is an immediate hit.
Retro Verso
Retro VersoMore Info
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
rue des Ploppes 1A Esneux 4130
Nathan – Baume
Nathan – BaumeMore Info
A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE.
Building on the past to express a form of modernity…
A reinterpretation that sublimates the lessons of the past in a burst of creative joy.
Such has been the approach followed since its creation when Nathan-Baume first presented its exclusive small luxury leather goods created from the finest leathers – notably exotic skins.
The range gradually expanded and includes travel bags, briefcases, computer cases, …yet the craftsmanship never lost his particular inclination for small leather goods, which require considerable skill and know-how in addition to an eye for detail and great dexterity.
Nathan-Baume took a new dimension with the launch of the jewels collection in silver and gold, accessories like silk scarves, gloves, hats, umbrellas…
Welcome to style and glamour, functionality and magic, senses and feelings. Welcome to you.
100 Avenue Louise Brussels 1050 Belgium
Head Office Grand Route 329 Lillois 1428 Belgium
More Info
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee… that is what Elegnano stands for.
Elegnano offers elegant, exclusive women’s shoes of the highest quality for women that are fashionable and graceful, but also know what they want in life. Elegnano lives by the motto: float like butterfly, sting like a bee. Walking through life effortless and elegant, but strong and sharp at the same time. Elegnano wants every woman to move gracefully through life – like a fairy or a butterfly – without exchanging elegance and femininity for comfort and resilience. Technological innovation and modern design make this possible. Elegnano is literally, and figuratively a fusion of elegance and nanotechnology.
The Italian craftmenship and high-tech innovation are brought together in unique designs. The design studio is based in Belgium. We pay a lot of attention to the right fit and materials of the shoes. Only top quality materials are personally selected with great care. The exclusive leather goods are handmade in the Marche in Italy, known worldwide for producing high quality footwear.
Katrien Herdewyn,s fascination for shoes started at a very young age: The four year old Katrien built a shoe shop in front of the garage and spent hours underneath tables in aisles to look at the shoes of people that walked by, without being distracted by anything above it. In 2010 she graduated as a civil engineer with a master’s degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at the University of Leuven. After her studies she started a PhD in Sciences, in combination with studies in Footwear Design at the Academy of Fine Arts of Sint-Niklaas. She took specialized classes in Fashion Footwear Design at London College of Fashion (UK), Polimoda (Italy), Prescot & McKay (UK) and SLEM (Netherlands). Her designs are enchanting and delicate, yet edgy and sharp. The eccentric collections she designed for the Academy have already been shown in various exhibitions, fairs and fashion shows in Belgium, the Netherlands, London and Paris. In 2013 she was nominated for the Global Footwear Design Award. In 2014 she became the only Belgian finalist in the prestigious Muuse x Vogue Talents – Young Vision Award Accessories. In November 2014 Katrien started her own commercial shoe label: Elegnano.
Willem De Croylaan 35 Heverlee 3001 Belgium
Olivierstraat 21 Wezemaal 3111 Belgium
More Info
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
More Info
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