Info
In 1876, François Van Roy founded an independent company producing work clothes. After World War One his son Otto started the weaving mill, followed, after World War Two, by a production workshop making its own collection of men shirts. In 1965 grandson Robrecht Van Roy and his wife Vic Meersschaut switched from the own gentleman’s collection to concentrate on production of ladies’ blouses and men’s shirts under contract. In 1997 the old firm became a public limited company, V.R. Embroidery.
In 1999 Robrecht’s children Steven and Els took over as active partners. They worked with the designers Vicky Vinck and Katrien Strijbol to develop a full collection for women wich resulted in Just in Case. In 2002, VRE has an embroidery department and contract work as well as its own collection, JUST IN CASE
Just in Case is a Belgian high profile fashion brand sold in an impressive list of countries. Antwerp based designers Vicky Vinck and Katrien Strijbol create sophisticated collections for women as romantic as they are. Amongst the clients you will find famous and not so famous women, yet all strong characters.
The collection explores as well boundaries of former fashion styles with romantic & fashionable details which Vicky & Katrien draw or create themselves. This makes the collection recognisable by the public and is regarded as highly fashionable. Women waring Just In Case will not pass unnoticed and are often complimented out of the blue with their choice of clothes.
PAROCHIESTRAAT 98 DENDERLEEUW 9472 Belgium
EMMA et MOI
EMMA et MOIbijoux et accessoires de mariage / juwelenInfo
EMMA et MOI – a jewellery label from Belgium.
Here, at EMMA et MOI, we love minimalist lines and natural beauty and focuses on these two aesthetics to create wearable jewellery, designed to be slipped on day in and day out. Gemstones, brass, vintage findings, and dainty chains are the trademark of our designs. If you love subtle forms, clean lines, light colors and natural stones means that we vibe in the same direction 🙂
It’s 100% handmade jewellery
We know, there is no enough jewelry 🙂 Accessories are a very important finishing touch to every outfit. Every year we create few collections in small batches. These collections are inspired by different themes. We choose the themes that inspired us and light up our passion. Our goal is to make jewelry that that portray our love for subtle forms, clean lines and a light color scheme that brings joy to the eyes and to the heart.
We make everything ourself: we design, choose supplies, craft the pieces; we make photos, manage orders, beautifully pack them and ship to you. So when you get your package, you should know, that we work hard and put lots of care to every detail to make you happy with purchase. We hope that our customers also feel unique when wearing our pieces.
It’s jewellery made in Belgium
It is in our studio in heart of Antwerp the magic happens. Our goal is to make jewelry that that portray our love for subtle forms, clean lines and a beautiful color scheme that brings joy to the eyes
and to the heart.
Local manufacturing, quality EU components, eco-friendly packaging and even usage of a bike to bring your packages to the post office to reduce pollution – are part of our philosophy.
Lange Koepoortstraat 55 Antwerpen 2000 Belgium
Nathalie Vleeschouwer
Nathalie VleeschouwerInfo
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.
Kammenstraat 82 Antwerpen 2000 Belgium
Kammenstraat 82 Antwerpen 2000 Belgium
Onderbergen 17 9000 Gent Belgium
Grote Markt 62 2500 Lier Belgium
Ernest Allardstraat 8 Brussel 1000 Belgium
Driehoeksplein 8 Knokke-Heist 8300 Belgium
Haus Coudeyre
Haus CoudeyreInfo
haus COUDEYRE was founded in 2010 by Marc-Philippe Coudeyre and Jan Verheyen. The label’s vision is to create contemporary clothes that encourage individuality and transcend seasons.
The collections include classic understated pieces made of high quality fabrics in vibrant colors and playful prints. The high-quality production is carried out in Belgium, France and Italy.
Head Office Rue le Titien 19 Brussels 1000 Belgium
BENELUX SALES Suit-case Antwerpen 2018 Belgium
INTERNATIONAL SALES Agence M&K Paris 75008 France
Kristof Buntinx
Kristof BuntinxInfo
Brussels designer Kristof Buntinx has already created a furore with his God Save the Queens shirts and gained international fame with a boxer short collection with which he targeted Russian anti-gay laws.
Protest and irony are therefore no strangers to Buntinx, but he also dresses Belgian celebrities in little bespoke gems just as much as he has children photographed as superstars. The exiled Sint-Truiden native has been working under his own label for more than a decade. An official introduction is called for!
Kristof Buntinx was born on 10 September 1975 in the Limburg town of Sint-Truiden. He quickly showed an interest in fashion and design and proceeded to draw from a model and attended sewing and pattern design classes. Buntinx completed internships with several major fashion labels such as Levis jeans and the Amsterdam fashion duo Viktor & Rolf.
His own image language
After his initial designs for the Cinderella Shop in Antwerp he sank his teeth into (and left his fingerprints on) a series of coffee mugs for Godiva. Soon Buntinx would tackle hats, a trick he was able to repeat in 2012 for Royal Ascot.
Shortly thereafter, the Pain clothing line followed, with its own photo series in collaboration with Stijn Vanorbeek. Still inspired by the world of image creation, Buntinx worked with filmmaker Ilke De Vries, this time to explore moving images. The film Vision was the result, in which the designer searched his own conscience by referring to a personal crisis.
Artist’s blood
Between 2008 and 2010 Buntinx focused on hats and a full line of accessories.
Triggered by his own life and personal developments, language associations and puns took up an increasingly important place in his work. Like any true-blue artist, Buntinx also creates from an inner drive. “I have always been crazy about fashion, but designing also proved to be beneficial for my mental health. It is my “therapy with a capital T,” the designer states.
Once Buntinx found his way, an increasing number of opportunities came up: in 2011 the Toga 125 Fashion Awards and a fashion show in which his design Ceci n’est pas un Advocaat shone. That same year Modo Brussels, the MIAT in Ghent and Hong Kong Design week also followed. A prominent fashion watcher from the UK even called Buntinx the most eccentric fashion designer of the Modo Brussels event.
The future is now!
Loved by the international fashion blog scene, Kristof Buntinx does not shun controversy. For example, he came up with a series of socially committed designs such as his answer to the Antwerp rainbow controversy, the God Save the Queens T-shirt’, his Russian boxer shorts, which even reached the American media and the crown jewels for King Philip.
During the last festive period Buntinx surprised friend and foe with a range of crisis jewellery, which questions material luxury. The Christmas dresses designed by Buntinx for Dana Winners’ Christmas tour and for Marlène de Wouters, the presenter at the Queen Elisabeth competition earlier in 2013, were, on the other hand, downright luxurious.
Kristof Buntinx certainly aims to let his designs speak for themselves in 2015.
Stay tuned!
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.
Valentine Avoh
Valentine AvohInfo
About
BETWEEN PASSION AND CRAFTSMANSHIP
THE DESIGNER
Valentine Avoh
Located in the heart of Brussels, the Atelier Valentine Avoh offers light, refined and playful wedding dresses in a Haute Couture spirit, combining surprising details and timeless cuts.
Graduated in fashion design from the London College of Fashion, the Belgian designer worked for more than 10 years for prestigious international houses such as Alexander McQueen, Alexis Mabille and San Andrès Milano.
While completing her first wedding dress in 2009, Valentine fell in love with the handcrafted process. Five years later, she launched her own brand and then opened her atelier in Brussels in 2017, where she creates each piece in the manner of the greatest names in Couture.
Inspirations
From Rita Hayworth’s undeniable glamour to the mysterious sensuality of Marlène Dietrich, Valentine’s universe is a mix of cinematographic and musical references. The songs of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald exude their charm in her creations.
From the first sketch to the finished product passing by the paper pattern, each pieces is made by hand in my Brussels workshop. The perfect equation to give you that feeling of intimate luxury and discreet elegance that only bespoke craftsmanship can provide.
In my constant quest for quality, I sources fabrics exclusively in Europe; in Italy, in France and of course in Belgium, from the same suppliers as those of the Haute Couture houses. I also develops some of my own unique embroideries in partnership with my suppliers in order to offer you truly unique pieces who embody the characteristic of the Atelier’s dna.
75 BOULEVARD SAINT-MICHEL BRUXELLES 1040
Info
Meet Tutu Chic, a Belgian fashion brand that represents the motto “La vie en Rose” 100%.
BRAND PROFILE
The Belgian fashion- and lifestyle label TUTU CHIC of fashion designer Freya Poppe, is well known for the motto “La Vie en Rose”. Since 2012, TUTU CHIC creates luxurious, stylish and happy outfits for women who want to stand out from the crowd. Customers from over the whole world fancy the pink lifestyle of this ambitious fashion label. “Let women, feel and BE women, strong, powerful ladybosses, with a poppy and happy twist” – Freya Poppe
ABOUT TUTU CHIC
TUTU CHIC was founded in 2012 by the Belgian fashion – entrepreneur Freya Poppe. Within a few years, lots of hard work (powered by her passion and her entrepreneur-skills), Freya managed to build this strong brand from scratch.
The pink lifestyle label stands for luxurious signature pieces, with a big heart for colors and stylish cuts.
Freya Poppe is the daughter of a creative entrepreneurs’ family and worked from very young age as entrepreneur and creative brain. For years she studied fashion design in Antwerp and worked very hard to get her fashion skills on point. “How can I call myself a real designer, if I wouldn’t understand how for example a pattern is assembled?” Her several business degrees and experiences gave her the courage to start the company. TUTU CHIC was born. A brand with a particularly chic, positive and exclusive look that was still lacking in the Belgian market.
Signature pieces like the hand knitted vests, the luxurious fabrics, the love for colours are just a few examples of the strong brand.
Today, TUTU CHIC is sold in more than 40 partner stores and the collections are available over the whole world throughout the official webshop: http://www.tutuchic.be
(PINK) AMBITION
Since 2016 the ambitious Freya got some national fame through 2 seasons of the television show on VIJF “Pink Ambition”.
The HQ (headquarters), atelier and showroom of TUTU CHIC have been located from June 2016 in a complete new building in Kruibeke (near Antwerp). The HQ, provides extra room for further growth of the successful brand. With two main collections per year, our own atelier and never-out of stock items, TUTU CHIC has gained a solid market position.
As entrepreneur, she is always on the go, and looking for the next step. Next to our own Gin, Tutu Chic launched their first shoe collection. Alongside Tutu Chic, exists Tutu Dors. The bedding brand for which Freya has designed her own line of
boxsprings, mattresses and sheets in the same spirit as the clothing line, so customers can really immerse themselves into the Tutu Chic world.
Wim Bruynooghe
Wim BruynoogheInfo
WIM BRUYNOOGHE, BORN BRUGES IN 1988, IS A BELGIAN DESIGNER AND GRADUATE OF THE FASHION DEPARTMENT OF THE ANTWERP ROYAL ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS.
ENCOURAGED BY BELGIAN PRESS, BRUYNOOGHE AND HIS PARTNER LAUR DILLEN STORMS FOUNDED THE WIM BRUYNOOGHE BRAND, PRESENTING THE FIRST READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION IN SEPTEMBER 2013.
HE SOON FOUND A PLACE FOR HIMSELF IN THE BELGIAN FASHION LANDSCAPE, WINNING THE KNACK WEEKEND AWARD AND OPENING A GUERILLA STORE IN ANTWERP IN MARCH 2015. HOUSED IN A MAGNIFICENT OFFICE BLOCK FROM BACK IN THE DAY, THE STORE PAID RESPECT TO SLEEK AND ELEGANT WIM BRUYNOOGHE GENE.
IN JANUARY 2016, THE DESIGNER WAS FEATURED ON FORBES’ ’30 UNDER 30′-LIST FOR EUROPEAN ENTREPRENEURS. HE WAS SELECTED BY THE AMERICAN BUSINESS MAGAZINE AS ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS OF EUROPE.
ALSO IN 2016, BRUYNOOGHE WAS APPOINTED CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF UCWHY, A BRAND FOUNDED BY ANNE CHAPELLE, CEO OF BVBA 32.
DISTILLATING SPORTS INFLUENCES WHILE QUOTING AND HOMAGING THE WORK OF THE GREAT 20TH CENTURY COUTURIERS, THE NAME WIM BRUYNOOGHE HAS BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH AN OUTSPOKEN SENSE OF ELEGANCE.
Julie Menuge
Julie MenugeInfo
Julie Menuge, textile & fashion designer basée à Bruxelles. Julie Menuge “explore le monde” et voyage dans sa tête à travers les tissus et les vêtements qu’elle collectionne depuis toujours. Par son travail de broderies et d’assemblages contemporain, elle désacralise avec humour et rend hommage avec amour, aux savoir-faire des différentes cultures, à leurs identités multiples, complexes et cosmopolites.
Ses créations SUPER MIX VERITABLE rassemblent des matières et des motifs des quatre coins du globe, des étoffes précieuses et artisanales, des broderies “industrisanales”, du batik, de la soie, et même du plastique…
154 Rue Blaes, Brussels 1000 Belgium