Carine Gilson
Carine Gilson
Info
Atelier véritable
“As day subtly turns to night and the hours steadily string by, the dream, at once airy and elegant, comes within reach. Pleasurably palpable.” – Carine Gilson
Carine Gilson’s story harks back to the 1990s. A freshly-minted graduate of Antwerp’s prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where she studied fashion, Carine Gilson discovered Maille France, a small Brussels atelier that manufactured fine ladies’ underslips. She immediately fell in love with the world of lingerie.
Savoir-faire
Carine Gilson decided to acquire the workshop and, with sheer dedication, set out to work on silk, lace, and exceptional materials. In the fashion of the boundlessly creative and refined lingerie creations of yore, Carine Gilson embraced this new adventure, taking her passion to the next level to create unique, breathtaking pieces in her Brussels atelier.
Exceptional Creations
The designer soon launched her couture lingerie line, Carine Gilson, a synonym for a world filled with incomparable beauty.
In no time, the press and finer stores from Japan, England, Italy, and America came calling. Buyers from renowned stores recognized the rare quality of these creations, which conjure the bygone enchantment of times past within our changed, modern world.
The prestige of Carine Gilson’s lingerie has grown quickly thanks to the unwavering excellence of her creations. In the House of Carine Gilson, every piece is lovingly crafted by hand. Perfection and finesse espouse rigor and passion. Lace incrustation is raised to an art form.
Take Flight
2018 saw Carine Gilson soar to new heights, with a redesigned logo that captures her very essence: two light, delicate wings of a bird on the verge of spreading in a gentle, feathery stroke.
Her new boutique on Boulevard de Waterloo in Brussels was designed by architects David & Nicolas who, together, created a subtly polished space celebrating Carine Gilson’s unabashed femininity and unparalleled refinement.
Symbolic of this ascent with wings aloft, the ready-to-wear and couture collections have been developed to take on an evocative and delicate turn. Here, the exceptional always takes center stage. In her incomparable signature style, Carine Gilson now designs for day, evening, and night.
26 Boulevard de Waterloo Brussels 1000
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
Info
Woman of the world, discreet and passionate philanthropist, visionary businesswoman: Myriam Ullens de Schooten has a thousand lives. And each and every one of them feeds her never-ending and tireless creative energy. In 2009, just five years after founding the Mimi Foundation that supports people with cancer, she launched her own clothing brand. First named MUS after her name’s initials, the brand have since been renamed Maison Ullens. Its purpose? To imagine and to create the perfect wardrobe for a woman like her: traveling around the world but remaining elegant and stylish.
You never cheat with quality
The first store opens in Aspen, Colorado. The second one in Paris, Rue Marignan, at the corner of one of the most renowned place in Paris: Avenue Montaigne. Follow a one year pop-up shop in London, in the heart of the fancy, iconic and Francophile neighborhood of South Kensington. Her inspiration, Myriam finds it during her travels and fuels it with her passions, art and architecture. Each of the Maison Ullens’ shop designed by Rem Koolhass features a piece of art, by Anish Kapoor or Ado Chale. Because in her personal life as in her business life, Myriam never forgets the advice the famous chef Gaston Lenôtre once gave her: you never cheat with quality.
After finishing business school, Kim Laursen decided to take a different path. And passing the entrance exam of the Kolding School of Fashion and Design on a hunch was not randomly: when he was a teenager, he would already draw dresses and clothing pattern in his notebook. But when the jury asked him to produce a summer collection, he’d rather went with a winter collection. A daring move – that made him pass the exam with honors from the jury. And “daring” continue to define Kim today. Fascinated by Paris and Montmartre district, he came to the City of Lights in 1990. He quickly landed an internship with one of his idol: Christian Lacroix. The internship was supposed to last two months. It will last 14 years.
The impossible alchemy between simple and complex
An amazing career marked with collaboration with some of the most prestigious houses and brands like Kenzo, Cacharel, Azzaro, Paule Ka, Vanessa Seward and Elie Saab.In September 2014, he took the head of the creation of Maison Ullens, walking in the footsteps of Veronique Leroy. Always looking for elegant and easy-to-wear clothing, Kim’s goal is to combine his minimalistic codes to our different collections. Passionate about contemporary art and fascinated by geometry, he tirelessly tries to mix materials and patterns in the hope of achieving the impossible alchemy between simple and complex. Between sophistication and well-being.
The label Made in Italy is not merely an indication of the product’s origin. It’s a statement. A statement that guarantees the use of raw material of exceptional quality – both for the production of many renowned fashion brands and for the craft of the most skilled artisans.The expertise and “savoir-faire” of traditional workshops are a priceless asset of the Italian fashion. And its value in the luxury world goes beyond any measurements or assessments.
Whether it is our factories near Venice or Florence or our leather workshop outside Florence these different places are thriving toward the same goal, the endless quest that drives Maison Ullens : the pursuit of excellence.It is that combination of extraordinary techniques and high quality raw material that created what makes the essence of Maison Ullens. An essence which we are using to deliver the best quality to our sophisticated and discerning clientele with which we have built up a very unique connection. One that seeks out exclusivity and genuine “savoir faire”.
Rue François Dubois 2 La Hulpe 1310 Belgium
4 rue de Marignan Paris 75008 France
727 Madison Avenue New York NY 10065 USA
445 East Hopkins Aspen CO 81611 USA
Info
SENNES combines Portuguese and Belgian tradition, high-sustainable Portuguese Wool & Belgian Linen, two noble, ecological fibers with opposite natural characteristics as guiding principles towards function and shape.
SENNES is globally inspired by climate change in nature and culture, therefore conceived as an annual wardrobe. A continuous developing collection where with every series of bags & garments, high quality woven fabrics, know-how and skills from ethno cultural origins are studied and subsequently interpreted in each individual pattern language.
A sustainable brand with a focus on uniquely textile crafted design. The human collective culture is our inspiration to create new collection items; each new design is a genuine attempt to open up new perspectives to intercultural dialogue.
Nele De Block
Art Director and founder Nele De Block is Belgian and studied Textile Design at ENSAV La Cambre, Brussels.
She develops her passion and technical skills for weaving at first as a textile designer for automotive.
She then becomes Art Director for BETET SKARA: (Antwerp, 1999-2007) originally created as a social integration program for political Assyrian refugees. In this weaving studio she conducts the process of woven prototyping and production for fashion designers, artists and architects such as Haider Ackermann, Christian Wynants, Bruno Pieters, Stijn Helsen, Tim Van Steenbergen, Bernhard Willhelm, Dries Van Noten and Peter Pilotto.
Simultaneous she teaches Textile Design at Saint Lucas Art School Ghent and is trend forecaster for the Textile Industry.
SENNES is setup in 2010, when Nele is introduced in Portugal as a textile designer to one of the last remaining traditional wool weavers of the Serra da Estrela region.
Since SENNES combines Portuguese and Belgian tradition, high-sustainable Portuguese Wool & Belgian Linen, two noble, ecological fibers with opposite natural characteristics as guiding principles towards function and shape.
Hofstraat 5 Antwerp 2000 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
Info
ABOUT IREENE
Ireene is a belgian clothing brand founded by interior architect Marie Soufflet. Her
minimalist yet comfortable proposal is focused on a timeless style, a sustainable way of production and high quality materials. The design of the clothes, not tied to any temporary trends, is meant to be a possible answer to fast fashion, offering mostly unique and long lasting pieces for a daily casual elegance.
slowfashion
Using only high quality upcycled fabrics from Italy, our handmade collection is designed and manufactured in Brussels by a small and local network. The reduced series crafted for each season allows for a constant evolution and renewal throughout the year.
details do matter
The essential shape of our clothes is reinforced by the straight cut of the models based on the « less is more » idea. The apparent minimalism is highlighted by ribbons, invisible openings or pockets and outside stitching. These subtle details invite us to understand the creative process in a surprising way.
genderfluid
We want to distance ourselves from the classic gendered fashion by designing mostly unisex clothing. We ditched traditional clichés in favor of a playful and mixed collection, offering anyone to create their own identity.
cité du sureau 17 Brussels 1000 Belgium
Xandres
XandresInfo
ABOUT US
READ OUR STORY
Xandres has enabled women to shine in elegant simplicity for more than 50 years. Effortlessly chic but refined, timeless but refreshing, designed with sophisticated details and an iconic quality: Belgian, sustainable fashion to cherish.
Fashion is a form of self-expression, an extension of our emotions. Every design that carries our label is made to convey a sense of self, perfect for everyday activities and important occasions.
We are a brand with a strong belief in sustainable pieces that eventually become wardrobe favourites. Elegant fashion we love to live in, tailored to ambitious, inspiring women of character.
Xandres celebrates femininity. Diversity is our beauty ideal, which is why our collections range from size 34 to 56, so every woman can count on the perfect fit, fabric and design.
Make every moment your own.
FITTING & CRAFTSWOMANSHIP
To us, femininity extends beyond clothing, beyond collections. It’s about identity, it doesn’t fit into a box. Diversity makes us stronger, and that is reflected through an authentic story in which every body, every size, every mindset is beautiful. A story in which we rebel against beauty ideals and support every woman’s self-confidence and personality.
That’s why you’ll find our clothing in every size, from 34 to 56, every item designed with the same attention to detail. By making small adjustments here and there in the designs, we can guarantee the perfect fit for every figure and let it come into its own beautifully. This tailored approach ensures that no one is limited by a lack of choice, that no one has to feel excluded. Because we are all Xandres.
INNOVATION
Xandres is investing in a better future, where quality and sustainability go hand in hand. We are developing a plan to make our entire production process as sustainable as possible, from yarn and fabrics to the garment in your wardrobe, and long after.
The Xandres Lab was founded to innovate and experiment. On the one hand, we draw up strategies for recycling our clothing and look for the right partners to complete the cycle. We gave new life to unsold items and materials from previous seasons in limited-edition capsule collections.
On the other hand, the Xandres Lab runs recurring projects in which we join forces with sustainable designers or brands. We give pioneers a platform and learn from them. This is how we move forward together, it’s a win-win situation.
#5DECADESOFXANDRES
FASHION COMPETENCE
50 years of know-how, experience and passion translate into our timeless, strong designs. A story that started with ’the perfect trousers’ and boutique clothing under the Andres name, when a new generation breathed life into the family business in 1968. Andres bridged the revolutionary gap between commercial brands and haute couture, thereby supporting women’s self-confidence and personality.
Luxurious but accessible clothing, complementing fashion trends with timeless beauty, imbued with authenticity and quality. That essence has remained unchanged.
In the nineties, Andres was transformed into Xandres, the iconic brand we are today. A long tradition inspired by femininity followed, and the first Xandres stores opened their doors in Belgium and the Netherlands. Xandres has since grown into an internationally respected fashion house and is still evolving. Proud of our roots!
Nijverheidsstraat 20 Destelbergen 9070 Belgium
Natacha Cadonici
Natacha CadoniciInfo
Of Italian and Russian origin, everything predisposed me to become a designer and craftsman: Russian great-grandparents breeders of Astrakhan sheep, a daddy shoemaker who worked diligently with his sewing machine and maintained joyful contact with his customers, a mother who had made-to-measure dresses at a local seamstress and an Italian aunt who had set up her own beauty and hairdressing salon in the center of Milan, a magnificent woman, sunny, stylish, smiling, full of energy.
After studying at the Free University of Brussels (Roman Philology / Letters), then in Fashion Design (Institut Saint-Luc), I decided, in 2006, to create some tops that are sorely lacking in my wardrobe: tops that are elegant but not too much, comfortable but stylish.
I am going straight away for viscose jersey because it is an ultra comfortable material, very pleasant on the skin, natural, easy to work with, easy to wash, which lasts over time.
But to give it a more stylish look than a simple T-shirt, I quickly decided to add some nice details:
– other materials such as cotton, wool in cutouts
– asymmetrical necklines that you can’t see anywhere else
– punchy graphic elements, like piping, ribbed edges, which give light to my basic colors: navy blue and black. The ribbing that I create are knitted exclusively for my brand. They are therefore not found anywhere else!
MADE IN BRUSSELS
Beautiful, joyful, luminous and lasting
One of the recognizable characteristics of my work is the use of ribbons that finish the garment in the neckline, the sleeve ends and the bottom of the tops, with peppy and bright colors: a base of mostly ecru with touches of fluorescent orange, fluorescent pink, fluorescent yellow, copper lurex etc. These ribbons are designed by me: I select, among 200 different colors from my manufacturer, the right combination of colors, the height of the lines, the best fabrics. These 100% cotton creations are produced exclusively for my brand in the north of France. You won’t find them anywhere else!
Make in a small conscientious clothing workshop in Brussels
From the start, I have all my creations made in a clothing workshop in Brussels which has excellent craftsmanship. I found Alicia a bit by chance and how lucky I was to cross her path: she works for all Belgian designers, including the cream of the crop! I am proud to give a job to this super Polish woman who set up her business on her own in Belgium and hired 4 seamstresses who were her colleagues in Poland. Over time, we have developed a very nice relationship of trust, respect and we understand each other in a single glance.
Alicia and her employees work at their own pace, without pressure and she practices fair prices for all which allow her to pay her 4 seamstresses with dignity and fairness. I really feel that she makes my designs as if they were her own: conscientiously, with love and with a smile. They all always discover my new models and my new fabrics with curiosity and impatience. They love my design and therefore work with it with pleasure, which is priceless to me.
All the advantages of preorders
- It reduces the use of the earth’s primary resources
- It allows me to have more cash, which is more comfortable for me
- It allows me to dare more to offer you less commercial and more daring models since I only invest money in a prototype and not in a complete blind production without knowing if this new creation will please you or in what sizes will I sell it
- It allows me to make the best use of certain exclusive fabrics that I only have in limited quantities: I only produce the right sizes that you pre-order; I can thus satisfy all of you; whereas when I was producing blind I had some models left in unsold sizes and some of you were frustrated that you couldn’t order it in their size since I no longer had this precious fabric
- It allows me to offer you creations that are really in line with the weather and adapt to it
- It allows my clothing workshop to produce at a much more humane pace: the seamstresses sew throughout the year instead of having to produce a production that must last 6 months in a single month
g requires a little patience. This is not a compulsive purchase but a real crush. I am also very available by email or phone to answer all your questions. I am committed to offering you sustainable, soft, joyful creations that will do you good. And you have a double pleasure: that of pre-ordering and that of receiving it a few weeks later.
Rue du Marché au charbon 62 Brussels 1000 Belgium
Info
JASNA ROKEGEM
A young and energetic pioneer in combining innovative fashion and cutting-edge technology. Not only in creating unique projects and collections, but also in bringing these to life by using techniques such as virtual and augmented reality. She has a strong vision on the clothing of the future and how it can add value to our daily lives. To achieve more and think further, Jasna likes working closely together with professional partners from around the globe.
These collaborations and projects brought her a lot of recognition and exposure. As a result she received various awards, gives lectures and gets invited to big events in different fields.
In January 2016, aged 23, she founded Jasna Rok, the first FashTech design studio in Belgium.
Jasna Rok provides a window to show the endless possibilities of technology and science today, by making them visible, tangible and understandable for the big audience through interactive fashion.
Raapstraat 6 Antwerpen 2000 Belgium
Info
Ayanne is een open atelier in hartje Gent waar maatkledij volgens de oude Franse haute couturetechnieken wordt vervaardigd. Dames kunnen er op afspraak terecht voor avond- en bruidskledij als ook voor tijdloze basics op maat. Ayanne werkt enkel puts natuurlijke stoffen (voornamelijk zijde) in haunting een uiterst fijne afwerking. Ieder stuk wordt exclusief in het couturesalon vervaardigd. U wordt er hartelijk ontvangen in een vertrouwde warme sfeer.
Aan de hand van professioneel stijladvies gaat Laurence Beyaert samen met de klant op zoek naar het perfecte ontwerp. Het resultaat is een unieke jurk gemaakt naar wens en identiteit van de klant.
Ayanne presenteert bovendien een collectie bruidskledij die tevens op maat wordt gemaakt. Laurence Beyaert, de vrouw achter Ayanne, laat zich inspireen door unieke, persoonlijke verhalen die ze met naald en draad vertaalt.
Dit voor de moderne bruid die belang hecht aan persoonlijkheid en authenticityit.
Laurence studeerde in 2006 af als kunsthistorica aan de universiteit van Gent. Nadien startte ze een opleiding modeontwerp in Brussel. Na enkele jaren in het commerciële circuit van de mode-industrie kon ze aan de slag in het atelier van Kaat Tilley. Zij deed haar dromen.
Deze droom wordt in 2012 werkelijkheid met de opening van een eigen couturesalon annex boutique. Met Ayanne gaan we terug naar een tijd waarin eleven maten met precisie werden opgemeten en eleven ideeën en visies kwalitatief werden uitgevoerd. “Zowel het fragiele als het sensuale, de kracht versus de kwetsbaarheid verenigen en verweven.”
Lange Kruisstraat 6K Gent 9000 Belgium