Fam
FamThe LabelInfo
ABOUT
Conscious Fashion
Over the last years, the word ‘sustainable’ has become fashionable. It is being used often and in a lot of different contexts where it always seems to take on a different meaning. In many cases brands use this word as a marketing tool, in some cases this word is abused to greenwash. 100% sustainability is impossible but we do try to be conscious about our responsibilities as a label. Let us state what our approach to conscious fashion looks like to us and to our FAMily.
Everything we do has an impact, leaves a footprint. It is our goal to make this imprint as positive as is commercially possible. We reduce our carbon footprint in a number of creative ways and make sure that all the people involved with FAM are positively empowered.
How We Achieve This
Sustainable Design
Short-lived trends are not in our vocabulary. We strive to make clothing that transcends seasons and stay with you for the longest possible time. We like to think of our collection as a capsule. As our environment changes and temperatures fluctuate, we deem it important that our clothing is versatile and that certain pieces can easily transition the seasons with you.
Each year we design and produce two transseasonal capsule collections for which we choose fabrics that are suitable for summer as well as winter.
Sustainable Production
We have chosen to have all of our clothing produced in Europe to ensure a minimal amount of transportation and a working environment that is congruent with European Social law.
Ilda and Manuel are the proud owners of a small family business in Portugal and have themselves sewn our very first FAM pieces. This was the start of a very fruitful collaboration and a way to make sure that our clothing is made to last by well paid happy people. Happy people are important if we are to build a new world together.
Sustainable Fabrics And Printing
Technology and industry have made impressive advancements in the last years however we still have a long way to go to produce fabrics that are versatile, durable and ecologically innovative at the same time.
Although the possibilities are sometimes still limited, we put a lot of effort into sourcing fabrics that help us achieve both our goals in regards to conscious fashion as a company and our aesthetic goals as a fashion label.
All of our prints are designed in Belgium and printed in Europe with inks that pollute less and with a process that significantly reduces water consumption.
Transparency
It is important for us that you, our beloved FAM, are provided the tools to make decisions with integrity and enable you to consume and buy in such a way that is in line with your environmental and social ethics.
In striving for perfection, we have learned it is unattainable. Today it is strictly impossible to do everything 100% sustainably but we are encouraged to know our society and economy are slowly changing directions. We have you to thank for this and it is you and your choices as a consumer that can help us achieve a world where a well thought through approach to conscious fashion can become our collective reality.
Washing Prescriptions
Buying conscious clothing is an excellent first step in reducing our carbon footprint. The second step would be to make our clothes last longer so that we don’t have to throw them away
The Story
Before she created FAM, Vanessa Beniers was racing through life, like a lot of us, working a busy job with little creative satisfaction. Right after losing her mother and later also her job, she hit a metaphorical wall and crashed.
Loss is destructive but destruction always means opportunity, so Vanessa started digging for things that could give her life a renewed sense of meaning. She promised herself to never put another dream in a box, to unapologetically stand for what she believes in and to let love and passion guide her way. Turning her setbacks into wins ultimately guided her back to her childhood passion, her love for fine clothes.
Friendship And Collaboration
Life has a funny way of bringing the right people together at exactly the right moment. Around the same time Vanessa decided to enroll herself in several courses on patternmaking, fabrics and business she met Clarisse Rocha.
Clarisse was making a sustainable impact with her organic farming business in Portugal until the economic crisis hit. She felt forced to leave her home country and family to become a cleaner in Belgium and found a job working for Vanessa. As they both shared their stories about life and loss, they also shared their dreams and found common passions. A deep friendship was born and so was the drive to share their love for fashion and sustainability.
A few years later this friendship has grown into a strong collaboration. Clarisse was able to move back to Portugal and now manages FAM’s entire production process.
Meet The FAMily
We are a fashion brand but first and foremost, we are people. People who laugh and cry and crave connection. People who love hard and believe in the magic of community.
We are a fashion brand but first and foremost, we are human. We are more than cold measurements of size and weight, of revenue and efficiency. We want to put our humanity front and center in all of our endeavours. We don’t build a community around our brand, we build our brand around our community. People are the driving force and people are the reason we center our values around sustainability and inclusiveness. It is our connection with one another that makes our work worthwhile. When we feel we are all working towards a common goal we feel united and empowered. When we see that we share the same values, hopes and dreams, we start to consider ourselves a FAMily.
This is us, the FAMily.
Get to know us.
Vanessa
Designer & Founder
My favorite song: La Foule – Edith Piaff
Most loved FAM item: Our Mona dress, for its endless versatility.
A talent I am proud of: My creativity, being grateful in every situation and my ability to forge deep bonds with people.
On being a FAMme: It’s all about authenticity for me and embodying the duality of my sensitive sides and my badass edges.
FAMbitions: Make our brand grow by building it with the right people; our FAMily. Bringing about a change in our mindsets when it comes to dressing sustainably and making FAM an established value in this market.
Clarisse
Head Of Production & Quality Manager
My favorite song: Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles
Most loved FAM item: Our Hanna Jumpsuit
A talent I am proud of: Connecting the creative aspects of the brand with the technical. My ability to easily connect with other people and making them smile in stressful situations. I love taking care of people and am also considered the mom of the family.
FAMbitions: To see FAM grow into an internationally successful brand.
Anaïs
Creative Community Manager
My favorite song: Lazy Nina – Greg Phillinganes
Most loved FAM item: Ash & Lee in Dark Clay Tencel
A talent I am proud of: My creative side – exploring & expressing new ideas.
FAMbitions: Spreading our message with creative content that reflects our FAM values. To not be afraid of being a little silly or breaking boundaries in order to reach our goal of a sustainable and ethical future.
Ilda & Manuel
When researching how we would tackle the production of our garments, one of our fabric suppliers gave us an address. We didn’t have a phone number to make an appointment so we just drove there and were immediately welcomed as family.
Everything just clicked and after discussing some things over a nice dinner that Ilda and Manuel had prepared for us we decided that these were the people who would handle our production. Soon after that Ilda made our very first FAM piece because she deeply believed this was the start of an amazing adventure together. She couldn’t have been more right.
Ilda and Manuel are now irreplaceable members of our FAMily. Our connection is deep and the amount of care and perfection they put into the production is uncomparable. We could not do this without them.
Katrien
Print Designer
My favorite song: Roam – The B52’s
A talent I am proud of: My sense of color, my capacity to capture ambiance and feeling with my drawings.
On being a FAMme: Sharing values and visions with a community of likeminded people is what’s important to me.
FAMbitions: To make women feel joyful and unique in their FAM outfits.
Celine
Wordsmith & Visual Content Creator
My favorite song: Millionaire (ft. Andre 3000) – Kelis
Most loved FAM item: All of our Kate trousers, they are incredibly flattering.
A talent I am proud of: Living and thinking outside of the box.
On being a FAMme: Embracing the full scope of what I am, trusting my intuition and not waiting for anyone’s approval to stray off the beaten path is what makes me feel complete.
FAMbitions: To be a drop in the ocean of people who are working towards a sustainable and inclusive future. That our mindful way of doing business will one day outweigh the impacts of fast fashion.
Sophie
Producer Prototypes
My favorite song: Boys will be boys – Dua Lipa
A talent I am proud of: My ability to turn a 2D design into a 3D garment and the sewing skills I need to accomplish that.
Most loved FAM item: I absolutely love the Elise jumpsuit.
FAMbitions:I want to keep improving communication between the design team and production team to produce high-quality garments.
Christel
Marketing Coach
You
The FAMme We Design For
You’re the star of our FAMily because your choices as a consumer are driving the real change. You are making our dreams possible and for that we love you, we thank you, we see you. Keep shining, keep doing you.
Ooievaarsnest 16 Gentbrugge 9050 Belgium
Atelier Minimalist
Atelier MinimalistInfo
Who we are
Atelier Minimalist is a Belgian fashion label with a contemporary and elegant design. We offer timeless clothing, produced locally and ethically in small quantities.
The first collection was launched in September 2019 using minimal geometry as its most important style element.
Dorsa Mohadjerin, the founder and designer, finds inspiration in modern art, architecture and nature. She combines subtle geometries with confident fits to create a timeless, elegant and unique look.
Each piece is designed and made consciously in Belgium. We work with our tailors to ensure that your clothing is created with ethics and environmentalism in mind. The same goes for the fabrics: all thoughtfully chosen or repurposed, providing you with the best quality. The sophisticated craftsmanship is clearly visible.
Atelier Minimalist firmly believes in the ‘slow design approach’. Therefore, the label focuses on timeless collections that blend into each other. New variations of existing pieces are re-invented in different colours, fabrics or proportions and added to the collection.
We hope to inspire people to support local & sustainable production and invest in timeless fashion.
Bio
Founder Dorsa Mohadjerin comes from a family with Persian roots and artistic talents. Experimentation is in her blood, and from a young age, she used her materials as tools for investigating the creative process.
With an appreciation for art and design, as well as a professional consulting career, she began to translate this love for exploration into her work with wearable arts – fashion and textile – at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Dorsa created Atelier Minimalist to blend her love of conscious tailoring with modern silhouettes.
Kerkplein 4 Edegem 2650 Belgium
Ma Reine et Moi
Ma Reine et MoiInfo
“Marraine was born on January 6, 1916 in Ans, a municipality in the province of Liège. She moved with her family to Roeselare in 1924. She learned to speak Flemish by reading the newspaper. She married and had two daughters and four grandchildren. one of those grandchildren, Martine Veranneman, born in 1969.”
In 2007 I started my own girls clothing line: Blathine. That was an exciting, intense time. But eventually it became a business and I missed the joy of the craftsmanship, the real handiwork and the direct contact with the customer, the carrier of my work.
In 2018 I changed course. I now only work on a small scale on order. I create tailor-made (wedding) clothing and take into account the individuality of the customer.
The approach is also unique: I don’t shy away from incorporating worn clothing with emotional value into a contemporary, new design. It is very pleasant to grow with the customer’s expectation to that moment when the result is allowed to see the world, usually that is a very special occasion.”
“Simplicity and elegance are my trademark. Wonderful “slow fashion”: the slow growth from a first sketch to tailor-made clothing that fits perfectly and a radiant customer.”
Did you know that I also teach?
As soon as Corona allows it again, workshops will be scheduled!
Design your own garment
During different modules I teach you to draw basic patterns to your own size. Then you analyze different models and I show you how you can convert them into your own pattern.
Possible modules are skirt, pants, dress, blouse, blazer and coat. Short classes each time.
New creative workshops are also planned:
– making lingerie
– dried flowers
– jewellery
-etc.
Naamsesteenweg 380E Heverlee 3001 Belgium
Sigi
SigiInfo
The Art of Knitting
Craftsmanship and experimentation define the culture of Sigi. We focus on creating new depths of colour and texture through the mixing of different yarns to present new and innovative designs that are instantly recognisable.
We have a deep respect and care for the knitwear we produce as well as the way in which we produce it. This is why we ensure that all of our knitwear is made in Belgium by real craftsmen and women under the best possible working conditions. These elements help define the culture we want to nurture with the Sigi brand.
Family
At SIGI we are proud of our family heritage with over 40 years of experience in the field of knitwear. Ilia Sigi Eckardt grew up in Antwerp in a very creative family where knitting was essential to the household. Being considered true experts in their field, mother Hilde Frunt and son Ilia Eckardt have been collaborating with Belgium’s best and brightest designers: Dries Van Noten, Raf Simons, Ann Demeulemeester and many more.
Made In Belgium
We do all our research, designing and development in our offices in the heart of Antwerp. Sourcing from our local pool of amazing talent is something we take great pride in. We have great faith in our local potential.
Info
We are an independent creative label based in Brussels mainly active in the fashion, music and audiovisual sector.
Roxane Baines
Roxane BainesInfo
A graduate of La Cambre Mode fashion school, Roxane Baines began her career creating accessories for iconic fashion brands such as Givenchy and Louis Vuitton Paris. She then became freelance and began collaborating with small Parisian designers.
The brand philosophy combines sobriety, modesty and embodies everyday elegance. The collection embraces femininity and simplicity with a clean, minimal design that echoes her love of nature and her journeys to Japan.
All cuts are created with simple, everyday use in mind.
Roxane Baines creates timeless pieces with common and necessary features. Extreme clean lines, devoid of any decorative elements, give free reign to the expression of the fabric…
In her search for the essence, Roxane Baines reaffirms her desire to create timeless pieces, allowing them to express their individuality and personality in everyday life.
SHOP Sur Rendez-vous 114 rue Souveraine Brussels 1000 Belgium
Info
Fashion is the Extension of Imagination:
Perfectionist, objective observant, sincere and above all spontaneous, Esmeralda has built on her experiences by working with different companies, while always following a positive philosophy.
Please click on the middle crosses for more details.
Born in Strasbourg (France),…
the child of a Spanish artist mother, she started travelling and drawing at a very early age. She lived her childhood mostly between Berlin (Germany) and Conil de la Frontera (Spain) surrounded by various fabrics and paintings of her mother, who was her biggest Muse. The great contrast between both cities of her childhood also enlarged her cultural and artistic mind.
With a desire to discover more cultures,…
she embarked on an international business career in Strasbourg. However, her artistic soul was stirring and thus with no hesitation, she left to Brussels in order to make her dream come true: to become a Fashion Designer.
During those three years studying in Brussels…
she discovered the Art Nouveau, and was integrated into the fashion world. She designed successfully unique creations for the Fantasy Film Festival and for the Bouglione Circus. She also took part in catwalks, and did her work experience in an Haute Couture company in Berlin. Her most enriching experience was her first public fashion show, with her haute couture collection, inspired by Chess game. This was when she realized that being a fashion designer would always be her passion.
She returned to her roots in Barcelona…
and worked for CUSTO BARCELONA. Following her experience at Custo Barcelona, she created a fashion shoe collection for Juba Trading Portugal.
In order to improve her technical and creative skills as a designer,…
she integrated into the team at Levi Strauss Europe in Brussels. After this, she joined the pioneer team in Amsterdam to build up LEVI’S XX with amazing brands LVC (Levi’s Vintage Clothing) and LMC (Levi’s Made and Crafted).
Following her ever-present need for quality growing experience,…
she worked for BVBA 32 in Antwerp for the luxury prêt-a-porter brand, Thimister.
Finally, the moment to explore new challenges arrived…
The dream of an 8 year old girl had to become reality, so, in March 2013, she decided to launch her very own brand,SMARACK.
Since then,…
she has participated in several catwalks and designer tradeshows.
Now,her brand SMARACK and tailoring service continues to grow,…
as builds a powerful reputation in the design world. She is freelancing and consulting other major design brands.
Rue des Chartreux, 48b Kartuizersstraat 1st floor Brussels 1000 Belgium
Tim Van Steenbergen
Tim Van SteenbergenInfo
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
Oxana Yan
Oxana YanInfo
Since my childhood, my grandmother taught me not to throw anything away, always recover clothes by transforming them into something else.
Always passionate about fashion, I taught myself to sew and create the models I wanted. My studies in architecture allowed me to acquire the precision necessary for the development of a pattern. Thanks to this, I worked in the fashion field, as a production manager in the “Mulieris” clothing workshop and as a seamstress in the “Recréart” boutique workshop specializing in the transformation of second-hand clothing.
While working at “Recréart” I realized that transforming clothes, giving them a second life, really appealed to me. In addition, the fruits of my labor sold well. I am passionate about creation.
I notice that in our consumer society, few people really pay attention to an important concept: recycling. Our planet does not have unlimited resources, so little by little we must take responsibility and begin to have a spirit of respect towards the planet.
By recycling, we prove and demonstrate that it is possible to live as eco-responsible people capable of not exaggerating the use of the Earth’s resources. Already in Belgium, more and more people are interested in organic products, I want to be part of this movement and produce clothes showing that the world of couture is not only pomp and luxury.
Info
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