Conni Kaminski
Conni Kaminski
Info
BEHIND THE BRAND
CONNI KAMINSKI is an ethical and sustainable womenswear designerbrand
100% made in Belgium.
Refined asymmetry, beautiful drapés, deconstructed knitwear, unexpected material mix and upcycling, for a result both original and elegant. The clothes are made from mostly natural and high quality materials such as silk, cotton, linen, merino wool and baby alpaca wool.
Next to the onlineshop, there is the boutique followed by the atelier, located in the historic center of Brussels: come and say hi and discover our universe chic and décalé.
ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Designer of German origin, Conni Kaminski studied fashiondesign and tailoring in Hamburg.
In 2000, she settled permanently in Brussels, and in 2005, the Conni Kaminski brand was created.
In 2008, she opened her store in the historic center of Brussels, behind which you can see the place where the magic happens: her workshop.
ETHICAL AND SUSTAINABLE
While proximity to her customers is a fundamental thing for Conni Kaminski, proximity to her suppliers and manufacturers is no exception. The sourcing of raw materials from different European countries and the production « made in Belgium », including research for fabrics, her pieces are entirely made on the same continent. Far from large productions across the oceans, everything is done via a 100% European network for flawless regulation and visibility of production.
MATERIALS CHOSEN WITH CARE
Because every detail counts, Conni Kaminski always selects for her creations essentially natural and high quality materials, all from European producers, such as silk, cotton, linen, merino wool and baby alpaca yarns, offering to her customers beautiful clothes comfortable to wear.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
Avoiding mass overproduction, Conni Kaminski’s clothes are created in limited series with a design both elegant and original. Refusing to get locked into far too ephemeral codes and trends, Conni Kaminski has her own universe. Thus, each of her pieces is a real added value to your wardrobe, as timeless as atypical. Always in the field of sustainability, her creations aim to support the clients in their everyday lives over the long term. Wearing Conni Kaminski is about asserting values and style, while remaining authentic.
HER WAY OF WORKING
For her creations, Conni Kaminski loves playing with the fabric. If her bust molding technique, often used by Japanese designers, honors many drapes, we can also find in her pieces a work of knitwear deconstruction, study of the material to transform it and even upcycle it into something chic and innovative.
We can find in her clothes an elegant asymmetry as well as many material contrasts, bringing all its originality and identity.
THE SHOP
Located in the historic center of Brussels, her shop is where it all happens. If the front door opens onto a beautiful store where you can admire, try and buy her creations, the back window offers us a view of her workshop, separated by an exterior courtyard full of greenery, where the collections are designed, the patterns are drew, the prototypes are created…, in short, a veritable abundance of ideas. It is also from the same place that each online order is sent, carefully packaged before departure.
Flagship store Marche au Charbon/Kolenmarkt, 102 Brussels 1000 Belgium
Info
About
1961: Birth
The story begins in a little village in south eastern Turkey. We are Sunday, it is October 29, 1961, Manufer Gulcu was born. Coming from a modest family, his father is farrier and his mother is housewife. In 1966, the family leaves the village to settle in the city, where his father opens his own workshop and reconverts into the manufacturing of horse saddles. During his early childhood, Manufer goes to school while working in his father’s workshop, where he gets familiar with a craftsmanship profession.
1972: Arrival in Istanbul
In 1972, Manufer Gulcu arrived with his family in Istanbul. The city is large and living conditions difficult, forcing Manufer to quit school at the age of 11 to find work. After accumulating odd jobs, Manufer found an apprentice position in a workshop located in the Beyazit district of Istanbul and discovered the profession of sewing there. Skillful with his hands, he quickly learns and develops technical skills. Very early on, working with leather and natural materials fascinates and ambitions him.
1978: Opening of his first workshop
In 1978, when he was only 17 years old, Manufer becomes an experienced couturier, the most respected position in the profession. His boss then offered him to take over the management of the workshop. He will accept the proposal and team up with his best friend to lead a team of eight workers. At a time considered to be the beginnings of the golden age of leather, Manufer saw its activity grow steadily.
1981: Arrival in Belgium
In 1981, in a tumultuous socio-economic context, Manufer decided to leave Istanbul for Europe, where everything had to be rebuilt. He will work for 3 years in different sewing workshops until the opening of his own workshop, which will later allow him to meet his wife. At that time, the importance of leather and shearling in the world of ready-to-wear was at its peak.
1987: The workshop burns down
On November 12, 1987, the building where the workshop is located burned down. Once again, everything has to be rebuilt. The accident prompted Manufer to renovate the Maison de Maître in Brussels located at 138 Avenue du Roi. He set up his workshops there, which he named MANUFERO, as a tribute to his origins. There he will develop his activities of creation, sales to professionals and individuals. He will also put his couturier know-how at the service of other designers, and will collaborate with prestigious houses such as Natan, Yves Saint-Laurent, Kris Van Assche and Jean-Paul Knot.
1992: 29thOctober is born
In his spirit of creation, Manufer Gulcu decides to put a name on his collections. In 1992, he created his brand, 29THOCTOBER, referring to a triple symbolic date for him and his family.
1999: Marie-Claire France
In 1999, the 29THOCTOBER brand obtained its first publication in a renowned magazine, Marie-Claire France.
2004: Paris international fair
In 2004, the 29THOCTOBER brand was present for the first time at the international ready-to-wear fair in Paris. This event will open the doors of French boutiques to the Maison and give it its European dimension.
2012: MIEL Catwalk
In 2012, the Maison took part in its very first fashion show, the MIEL Catwalk, and presented a preview of its winter 2013-2014 collection.
2018: The team is growing
In 2018, the 29THOCTOBER team is growing and becomes more than ever a family house. Benjamin and Lucie, Manufer’s children, join the company and give it a digital dimension by creating the online store.
2020: The range is growing
The brand takes precedence over innovation and diversification. More than ever willing to perpetuate its craftsmanship and put its know-how at the service of innovative and committed fashion, 29THOCTOBER is launching its first capsule collection in vegetable leather. On the occasion of its birthday, October 29, 2020, the brand unveils its bag line.
Avenue du Roi 138 Brussels 1190 Belgium
Rue Joseph Stevens 41 Brussels 1000 Belgium
Nathalie Vleeschouwer
Nathalie VleeschouwerInfo
ABOUT US
Nathalie Vleeschouwer offers the kind of subtle elegance to women of character who want to enjoy life actively and confidently.
The Belgian designer launched her collection in 2011, but the roots of her fashion house go back as far as 1990. Inspiration is derived from all corners of the globe and distilled by Nathalie and her team at their headquarters in Antwerp. Because the soul of the collection is inextricably bound to the designer herself, it has an authentic style and is continually evolving, just like Nathalie’s creative ideas.
Experience, craftsmanship and lasting partnerships with a handful of suppliers and workshops form the basis of every garment that bears her name. Made with love, so that you can wear it again and again, and mix & match it with different items every season. Where the creativity of this collection – released once every six months – stops, yours begins.
Who is Nathalie?
Nathalie Vleeschouwer really does exist. She is not just the designer of the collection; she is also a wife, the mother of three children and two dogs, a traveller, nature lover, city-tripper, swimmer, connoisseur, and so much more.
Nathalie actively enjoys life and the clothing she wears plays an important part in this. It gives her confidence and supports her in all her activities, making it an essential part of her life.
There may be only one Nathalie Vleeschouwer, but many women can identify with her.
Why did she create the collection?
Nathalie Vleeschouwer’s interest in fashion stems from her childhood. Her father was a purchaser for a clothing chain, and as a child she loved nothing more than to accompany him to the big clothing factories. The Antwerp Academy of fashion was a logical next step in her career, but she decided – at the age of 22 – to swap the Academy with learning from practice. This resulted in the launch of Fragile, a maternity wear collection, in 1990. In those days, making fashionable maternity clothing was unheard of. That is how Nathalie became a global pioneer in the world of maternity fashion. The collection was a great success, all the way from Antwerp to Tokyo, and many brands have since followed in Fragile’s footsteps.
Having won the Womed Award in 2010 for female entrepreneurship, Nathalie felt she was ready to embark on a new venture in addition to Fragile. To underscore the authentic style of this new collection she decided to give it her own name: Nathalie Vleeschouwer.
The first collection was presented at the international trade fair in Paris in September 2010 and was available in shops in the spring of 2011.
What does the company Natale do?
Natale stands for Nathalie, and also for the Italian word for ‘birth’.
The family business comprises two collections: Fragile & Nathalie Vleeschouwer. Both are the artistic creations of designer Nathalie Vleeschouwer. The management of Natale is in the hands of Nathalie herself and her husband, Jan.
A staff of approximately 40 work hard every day, prominently or behind the scenes, in a wide range of jobs from pattern designer to sales assistant. By outsourcing as little work as possible experience is combined, ensuring a dynamic business culture.
Who makes your favourite pieces?
Nathalie Vleeschouwer is the head designer of a creative team, and collaborates with her own pattern maker. Each design is developed in detail by our team. We strive to build relationships of trust with all our suppliers and manufacturers, in which transparency and long-term cooperation are of the essence. We regularly visit our partners on site with a view to strengthening our ties and building a genuine relationship of trust and mutual respect.
Socially responsible entrepreneurship and sustainability
Respect for people, the environment and society are key values at Natale.
By opting for quality goods at fair as a starting point, we hope to contribute to enhancing the sustainability of the fashion industry. We deliberately choose to release only two collections a year and are adverse to hypes as well as overproducing. By adhering to this long-term vision we can make honest fashion that you will enjoy for many years to come and in which both the maker and the wearer take pride.
Our collections are produced without any use of child labour, in pleasant working conditions and for honest wages by audited suppliers with whom we build up partnerships with a long-term vision.
Keeping our creative, commercial and administrative departments under one and the same roof in Antwerp ensures that Natale’s environmental impact remains limited. We make every effort to minimise our ecological footprint throughout our production chain as well. This is one of the reasons why we have been sourcing more than half of what we produce from Belgian manufacturers for over 20 years. The remaining half is primarily produced in Europe.
Step by step, we aim to integrate more ecological fabrics into the collection every season – depending on the offering – while always maintaining a correct price/quality ratio.
Tulpstraat 104 , Antwerp 2060 Belgium
Catalina J
Catalina JInfo
WHO WE ARE
Since 2007 she designed for several women’s wear fashion brands, launching her first label collection in 2016 in order to build a strong visual brand identity, dedicated to modern and individual femininity. Catalina J develops a refined construction of actual silhouette with elaborated crafted lines and sharp details inspired from Couture technique.
Dedicated to intelligent, active and stylish woman, dresses Catalina J are the image of a truly modern urban spirit. Her signature stems are empowered by the mix between geometric cuts and pure lines. The outstanding design places the studied grace of feminine body in the spotlight revealing a continuous search of proportion, fabric and color matching.
Headed in the creative process by inspirational themes in continue progress such as art, architecture and technology, the designer highlights a minimalist, yet polished profile with clean cut, soft and superfine adds up to a superior sartorial vision.
An important step in our brand development now is identifying and implementing innovative-sustainable solutions, choosing the right and responsible way of creating.
OUR APPROACH
We are interested in bringing innovative solutions and sustainable approaches through our active research on how to develop, produce and deliver best and original designs for our customers at the same time minimizing impact on the planet.
Our new journey started in 2018 when we decided to use for our next collection organic certified cotton and next steps are to add other low impact and natural fabrics to our designs.
A new challenge that marks a new beginning for our brand strategy – a responsible consuming lifestyle that correctly integrates into our future creative process.
FABRICS
We source the purest and high quality fabrics directly from our certified suppliers which have already a well established reputation and tradition in producing it.
The organic cotton is certified with international Global Organic Standard GOTS and OEKO Tex standard for textile.
Also we use low impact fabrics which biodegrade faster and use less water to produce them: viscose, tencel and recycled fabrics.
Great things are happening in this space, with many more to come!
OUR VISION
We aim to tell stories through our collections, building a strong identity of high quality, ethically made garments with a conscious concept and sustainable practices behind.
We love to create with respect for our customers and the environment. That’s why we decided to integrate the slow fashion process, and to implement ethic and sustainable opportunities for our production, made in EU.
We bring value and enhanced product experiences to our customer – next to creative signature design while using organic certified fabrics for our collections.
Avenue de Broqueville 94 BRUXELLES 1200 Belgium
Sofie D’Hoore
Sofie D’HooreBoulevard Barthélémy 11 Brussels 1000 Belgium
Info
We are an independent creative label based in Brussels mainly active in the fashion, music and audiovisual sector.
I Love Mr. Mittens
I Love Mr. MittensInfo
When Belgian born Stéphanie Caulier visited a small knitting cafe in New York back in 2007, she was reminded of her childhood passion of knitting. Growing up in a family surrounded by knitting and sewing, it was only natural that Stéphanie developed an interest in knitwear. It has been a labour of love over the years and from small beginnings of knitting for family and friends, the brand has evolved into `I love Mr Mittens`. Stéphanie’s passion for knitwear and design is clearly illustrated through her multiple social media avenues and her masses of followers built in the last few years.
Whilst not following traditional academic design study, Stephanie has honed her skills through years of experience in her chosen craft. She combines this knowledge with her keen fashion eye to create a line of unique chunky wool garments.
I Love Mr Mittens is not only a fashion label, it is a label based upon community and sustainability whilst maintaining timeless aesthetics. This ideal also flows through to the I Love Mr Mittens stockists. The I Love Mr Mittens range is available through a carefully selected array of stockists. Quality over quantity is Stephanie’s vision for her brand and this is seen through her select group of stockists across the globe. It is also important to recognise I love Mr Mittens “Heartworking” philosophy. Each garment is hand knitted with love by Stephanie and her team. This collaboration of small, independent businesses (rather than large conglomerates) completes the vision of I love Mr Mittens to create a brand that provides a genuine contribution back to the local community. University students and retired pensioners alike, work with a common objective of executing Stephanie’s vision of how knitwear should be, simple, elegant, timeless and fashionable.
HEAD OFFICE 101 Napier street Cottesloe WA 6011 Australia
Vieux Jeu
Vieux JeuInfo
About
When you’ve tricked yourself out in a tennis class on a heavy scheduled day, you’ll need a good looking outfit to finish the day in. Hit the court with Vieux Jeu, the modernist sportswear label by Belgian designer Claudia Storme, whose polished yet effortless collection might be just what you’re looking for.
The trend is a classic: we all have a busy schedule but we don’t want to give up our sports class. ‘If you want to make it happen, it’s wise to prioritize style over function’, dixit Claudia Storme.
Discover the boho allure of Vieux Jeu, the Belgian label that captures the mood of a bygone era. Claudia Storme gets inspiration from one of the oldest games. Yet looking to the past doesn’t always suggest a yearning for what’s lost; rather, a desire to reinvent and redeem.
The go-to label for beautiful yet functional tennis clothing and accessories with that easy-to-wear je ne sais quoi, Vieux Jeu celebrates the glamour of a lost era, giving classical shapes a modern spin.
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Frieda Degeyter
Frieda Degeyter studied Fashion Design at the Royal Academy of fine arts in Antwerp, Belgium.
From 1993 till now she worked for several labels.
In 1997 she launched her own collection.
At the moment she is still creating and working on different projects.
Barbara Degeyter
After graduating in Graphic Design in Antwerp in 1995, Barbara has been working for several years for Belgium based magazines.
Since 2001, she attends an open ceramics studio near Breda where she has further developed her interest for object design.
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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