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Hemptees is a slow fashion brand with timeless high quality hemp clothing. Inspired by a slow lifestyle and a big heart for our oceans. We believe that every wildflower should feel free and comfortable in textiles that are good for the planet and good for people.
Our Story
Our little wildflower was born into an independent family. Her mother instilled in her a passion for art, textiles and natural materials. Her father travels (still does) around with his surf gear to catch the best wave. In 1982, he co-founded a textile distributor for sports brands. With this breeding ground, our little wildflower spread her seeds and Hemptees was born.
Lou De Buck, owner and founder of Hemptees, brings a consiously curated collection of her favorite versatile plant of all time, hemp. She draws her inspiration from music, cinema, travel and nature. She offers a mix of urban and coastal influences with a nod to modern nostalgia. Intuition and authenticity are always at the core of Hemptees aesthetic.
Hemptees appeals to fun-loving, free spirited and like-minded individuals and offers a range of clothing, home textiles and accessories with a focus on ethical, handmade and sustainable practices.
Sometimes you just need that good durable favorite and that’s when slow fashion is a great option. We want to do our part by offering sustainable clothing made from 100% hemp. An alternative textile that pollutes as little as possible and is better for people with sensitive skin.
My Ecological Lifestyle
My Ecological Lifestyle
The Power of Slow
Lou is excited about what the future holds and knows that this is just the beginning of Hemptees’ story.
Over the years, we have become acutely aware of how big our culture of waste is and how it has continued to grow. We live in a time where sustainability, equality and freedom are common themes. As a product-based brand, we are aware of more stuff’s impact on the environment, which is why we promote secondhand first and slow fashion second.
Affordable good basics for everyone is our driving force without compromising on quality and longevity.
Fashion is one of the biggest polluting industries, so we try to minimize our waste while providing you with beautiful timeless eco-friendly basics that you will cherish for years to come!
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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
Buissonnière
BuissonnièreInfo
Buissonnière: 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
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Aymara is the result of the love story between a Belgian engineer, Sven Van Gucht, who met Yannina Esquivias, a young Peruvian travel agent, during a sabbatical year and fell in love. Yannina and Sven quit their jobs and started a knitting factory in Peru together with Yannina’s family. In 2007, the knitwear label Aymara was born. The name Aymara refers to a native ethnic group in the Andes of South America.
Concept
The magic of Aymara lies in the combination of Belgian design and Peru’s extraordinary fibers and textile craftmenship. Aymara’s knitwear is produced in our own knitting factory in Arequipa, in the south of Peru, managed by Yannina’s family. Thank’s to our strong relationship with them and their unconditional commitment, this incredible intercontinental project could be achieved. We believe that in today’s world of fast fashion and mass consumption, people are looking for authentic products with a soul. When buying Aymara, you are sure to get longlasting, sustainable products with an extraordinary story.
Design
Excellent natural fibers play a key role and are the starting point of each Aymara design. This is why Aymara chooses to offer pure styles available in a wide colour palette of bright and soft colours. Our designers take into account the fashion trends but at the same time, we make sure that each Aymara product is timeless and longlasting. A lot of attention has been paid for the perfect fitting form and discrete refined details. The kids collection, designed by Yannina has a playful character whereas the women’s collection, designed by Saskia Van Herzeele is very feminine.
Fiber
Peru manufactures some of the world’s finest quality fibers. For our summer collections, Aymara uses Peruvian pima cotton which is considered to be one of the softest and finest cottons in existence. In winter, garments made of precious alpaca blends are always an important part of our collection. Alpaca is a cousin of the llama and is prized for it’s thermal properties, silkiness and durability. Alpaca is a fiber which does not come at the expense of the environment. In today’s world, dominated by artificial materials, alpaca is the natural option. Alpacas graze at elevations of 3500 to 5000 meters in the Peruvian Andes. This precious fibre is used by top designers world wide. Aymara only uses the finest alpaca fibers, called baby alpaca. In our winter collections we also offer garments made of fine merino wool from Argentina.
Production
Aymara’s knitting plant is fully integrated and employs about 60 persons on the pay roll. This assures us to be in complete control of the production process and the quality of the garments. Although the knitting process itself has been industrialized, the production process is labour intensive and still requires a lot of manual operations. A lot of attention is been paid to the linking and finishing processes. Aymara garments are fully fashioned ; this means that the cutting and overlocking process is avoided as much as possible. By doing so, Aymara’s customers are getting a high quality product with one of the finest linking and finishing standards on the market. Turn your Aymara garment inside out and you will see what we mean !
Although most of the collection is produced on industrial knitting machines, each winter season Aymara offers a small theme of hand knit accessories. This enables women to generate an income by hand knitting at their home while taking care of their children. For a lot of these women it would be impossible to work inside a company because of their family situation and the lack of childcare. You can recognize these products by the “Aymara hand knit” hang tag. We are currently investigating how this could be integrated into a wider social project.
Head office & International Sales Aymara bvba Bornem 2880 Belgium
Showroom Aymara Antwerp Kielsevest 70 Antwerpen 2018 Belgium
Christian Wijnants
Christian WijnantsInfo
Christian Wijnants is an Antwerp-based fashion designer.
Born in Brussels, Christian moved to Antwerp in 1996 to study fashion design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. His graduate collection won the Dries Van Noten Award for best collection in 2000. After graduation, Christian presented his collection at the prestigious Festival d’Hyères, where it was awarded the Grand Prix and picked up by stores including Colette (Paris), Pineal Eye (London), and Via Bus Stop (Tokyo). After working with Van Noten in Antwerp and Angelo Tarlazzi in Paris, Christian launched his eponymous label in 2003.
Christian Wijnants presents his collections in Paris during Paris Fashion Week and is sold at boutiques and department stores worldwide including Barneys, Tomorrowland and Opening Ceremony.
Rich, layered graphics and fresh colors translated into eloquent knitwear offer a play of authenticity and luxury that has won him the 2013 International Woolmark Prize, the 2006 ANDAM Award, and the 2005 Swiss Textiles Award. Christian Wijnants is in collaboration with Swarovski for Spring-Summer 2016 and Autumn- Winter 2016 and has been nominated for Swarovski Collective Prize for Innovation.
Wijnants opened his first flagship store in Antwerp in September 2015.
HEAD OFFICE 215 Italiëlei bus 21 Antwerpen 2000 Belgium
36 Steenhouwersvest Antwerp 2000 Belgium
Info
Arlette Schmitz is a Belgian slow fashion label…
….that came about in 2018 when former journalist Sophie De Laere decided to switch careers and become a fashion designer. She studied fashion designat SASK Sint-Niklaas and specialised in pattern making.The name of the label was coined after both Sophie’s mothers. The surname of her birthmother who died a very young woman and the first name of her adoptive mother.
Towards sustainability
Our collections are conceived and manufactured locally in Belgium. For the greater part in our own atelier. This local approach results in less carbon emission and no exploitation of workers in low income countries. One of the biggest problems in fashion today is massive overproduction. Our own volumes are kept low to avoid dead stock. Our collections are not discarded after one season and remain available for an indefinite period of time. Fabrics are sourced from European mills. Most of our suppliers hold environmental certificates. Occasionally we use dead stock. We are currently investigating the use of recycled materials. We do not exclude off hand any kind of material in our collection as it is a well known fact that natural as wel as synthetic materials both pose advantages and problems regarding sustainability. Arlette Schmitz aims to make beautiful clothes that you may enjoy for many years. Our customers are encouraged to lovingly mend any wear and tear that may occur. In accordance with the Japanese philosophy of WABI SABI we see beauty in imperfection:
Nothing lasts, nothing is finished, nothing is perfect.
Or as Vivienne Westwood would have it:
Buy less, choose well, make it last
Vivienne Westwood
Code of conduct
We make sure no one is exploited during the production of our collections. Inclusivity matters to us. Although our focus lies on the female form, we welcome all persons binary and non binary, straight and queer into the Arlette Schmitz world. A well made sustainable garment comes at a cost showing respect for all fashion industry workers
Blekerijstraat 75 Gent 9000 Belgium
François van Impelaan 75 Gent 9041 Belgium
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SPRANKELEND STIJLVOLLE DAMESKLEDING
Vrouwelijkheid ten top
Ons uitgangspunt is de vrouw. Wat vindt zij van een bepaald kledingstuk, hoe bevalt de kleur, hoe ervaart ze het comfort van een zekere pasvorm. Onze damescollecties zijn uitermate geschikt voor een vrouw die zelfzeker en vrolijk in het leven staat en er absoluut niet voor terugschrikt om dat ook aan de buitenwereld te tonen. Paspoppen zijn zichtbaar in de winkel, maar tijdens het ontwerpproces blijven ze ver uit het zicht. Niets kan immers tippen aan de vormen van échte modellen, waarop elk collectiestuk wordt getest en gekeurd.
Designed in Belgium, made in Italy
Geen ingetogen kledij, maar ook niet overdadig. Due Amanti ging voor de gulden middenweg; just right. Klasse hoeft niet saai te zijn; wij verkiezen sprankelend stijlvol. Geregeld reizen we af naar Italië om samen met onze fabrikanten te brainstormen, uit te proberen, aan te passen en uiteindelijk te creëren.
HOGESTRAAT 111 HOOGLEDE 8830 Belgium
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About Comme ça
Ladies, you certainly recognize this: the magical feeling of your new dress. The ultra-soft fabric, perfect fit and radiant colours. But after a few washes, that dress often loses its shine. Not so with the comme ça collections! This colorful fashion for mothers and daughters excels in top quality and affordability and is also purely Belgian.
Stylish fashion
Comme ça designs 2 new collections for women every year. From casual tops and trousers for your leisure time to classy outfits for work, Comme ça has it all. In between, we also perfectly adapt our collections to current trends and let it surprise you by adding her own style: feminine silhouettes, stylish prints and beautiful colours.
For real women
Clothing for real women is pre-eminently the common thread through the fashion label. In our team we have ladies with different sizes and styles. Every new collection starts from there. Comme ça makes clothes from size 34 to 50 that take feminine shapes into account. Our trousers, dresses and blouses accentuate your strengths and hide the minor flaws that you see, so that a woman shines at any age. The delivery of the test collection is therefore a great and exciting moment. Our team fits and tests all new pieces to ensure fashion that fits every body.
Affordable top quality
Dress up, not down, but at a fair price. Comme ça creates affordable fashion for you. We only select strong and durable fabrics and swear by a perfect finish. Surprising look thanks to the easily combinable top and bottom pieces. We therefore offer original and striking eye-catchers that are produced in limited numbers. Enthusiasm and passion float above each piece and we are happy to pass that feeling on to you.
KASTELEINSSTRAAT 11B KRUIBEKE 9150 Belgium
Ataman
AtamanInfo
Mustafa Ataman graduated from Francisco Ferrer School of Fashion with Honors and received the MAD Lookbook Prize 2018. Ataman started his career as a designer in Paris for Delphine Murat and then worked at Atelier David Szeto. Later on he moved to Istanbul to work alongside the stylist company Hakaan.
In 2018 Ataman went back to Belgium where he developed his own brand and collections. He participated in many fashion events such as MAD Sales, Maison des Modes in Roubaix, Balthasar in Sablon and different pop-up stores in central Brussels.
The first Ataman permanent store opened in Brussels in 2022. It is settled in in the historical neighborhood of Marolles in a small brick house, close to Place du Jeu de Balle.
Rue des Renards, 5 Brussels 1000 Belgium
Valérie Berckmans
Valérie BerckmansInfo
In her boutique-atelier at rue Van Artevelde, Brussels, Valérie Berckmans designs a women’s ready-to-wear line since 2006. Under her eponymous brand, she creates a collection in a graphic and minimalist style, evoking an airy femininity often brightened up with particular details.
Each piece that leaves her workshop is meticulously crafted with fair trade, organic or alternative raw materials (deadstock of fabrics, upcycled vintage pieces).
She is having her collection produced exclusively in Belgian and French workshops to maintain the local know-how and reduce the ecological footprint of her project.
Since April 2021, she works in duo with the fashion designer Théo Auquière on the design of the collection.
In the “boutique-atelier”, nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed into ethical & ecological creations!
From this philosophy was born their zero-waste project. The fabric leftovers from the women’s production are offering new stylistic, practical and circular perspectives, translating into a children collection, ladies underwear & cotton pads, among others.
Valérie Berckmans also sells in the shop creations of other Belgian designers who share the same sustainable philosophy : Atelier Content (shoes), Géraldine Bertrand (knitwear), Aymara (knitwear), O’Leary (leather accessories).
Rue Van Arteveldestraat, 8 Brussels 1000 Belgium