Nèle Content
Nèle Content
More Info
Nèle Content makes jewellery in silver, one-off pieces
or small editions.
Thanks to her background in contemporary jewellery and textile design, she combines both disciplines in a new and original way.
Her discreet pieces are aerial and grounded, light and strong,
graceful and elegant.
Pattern, texture, and a dialogue between brilliant and matt surfaces.
Metal becomes rhythm, following the shapes, folds, and pleats of fabric, creating contrasts and responding only to itself …
Each piece is the fruit of a quest for movement and balance.
Jewelry should be playful, an interchange between metal and skin ,
a flash of light amongst silken hair, arresting our gaze.
There is three collections:
The “Caractères” series is based on shaping of silver,
which is cut to create distinct volumes.
In the “Reliefs” series, volume and movement arise
from folding and repeating linear patterns.
The “Lignes” series is inspired by the techniques of weaving.
These pieces emerge from networks, from the embrace of thread and texture, evoking the way in which fabric forms are created.
Each piece consists of a unique surface, which is cut, wrapped
and develops through folding in on itself.
Volumes rise from the simple interplay of shape and cut.
45, rue des Fabriques Brussels 1000 Belgium
Retro Verso
Retro VersoMore Info
About
Welcome to Retro Verso! My name is Charlien and I would love to tell you how this store full of cheerful and colourful clothing was created.
Immediately after I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Fashion Technology, it was itching to start my own clothing line. I could make the rugs myself, but unfortunately there was no budget for a physical store. This online store was created in 2013.
The starting points would certainly be quality and exclusivity – after all, nothing beats seeing people walking around in your self-designed, handmade dresses. In addition, a maximum of 10 pieces were made per model.
There was not much budget for advertising, but I could no longer keep up with the number of requests – especially customization. Unfortunately, manual work does not scale at all and soon I was faced with a real dilemma; outsource production or change tack. For example, I decided to look for colourful brands that I was going to sell through my webshop.
Fortunately, at that time I was able to use a fitting room and some display space in my parents’ shoe store so that my customers could try on clothes. Retro Verso, the shop-in-shop was born. Some time later, it seemed a good choice to leave the building entirely to Retro Verso.
In August 2017, the physical store opened, completely in the vintage style, on top of the web store.
Retro Verso now sells brands that you all know: 4 Funky Flavors, Froy & Dind, King Louie, Le Pep, Mademoiselle YéYé, Sugarhill Brighton, Blutsgeschwister, …
To this day I do everything myself: running the physical store, the webshop, purchasing, accounting, and most importantly for me: putting a smile on people’s faces 😉
Happy shopping!
Greetings,
Charlien
Vrijheidsstraat 1A bus 12 Denderleeuw 9470 Belgium
More Info
Thea is the name Emilie Duchêne gave to her daughter, a baby girl who was born at the same period as this creative project. She wanted Thea’s birth to be forever associated with a moment of creation. This is how Thea Jewelry came about in November of 2011. Thea Jewelry is a line of luxurious custom-made jewelry, personalized and unique. You order your unique piece of jewelry online, but first you can personalize the jewel by choosing a fine gold, a word of your choice, a heart or a star, all to be engraved in gold, or set with either white or black diamonds. In 2014, Emilie Duchêne added new jewels such as earcuffs, cufflinks, and bracelets for kids, all personalized, to further share the essence of Thea.
Our jewels
Our jewels are unique, personalized in a fine 18 Karat gold, and made by hand in a workshop with a certain “savoir-faire”. The customer chooses the color of the gold: white, yellow, or pink. This jewel may be even paved with white or black diamonds. The customer can also choose to add symbols such as a heart, a star, an infinity sign, or other symbols. The writing used for each jewel is totally unique as it’s based on Emilie’s own handwriting. Four weeks later, your jewel will be sent in a luxurious box to your door.
Drève de Lorraine, 43 Brussels 1180 Belgium
More 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
Karla Mertens
Karla MertensMore Info
Karla Mertens
Karla Mertens grew up among the stones and jewels in her parents’ jewellery store. She went to Antwerp to follow ahigher education as a Jewellery Designer and Goldsmith in the Sint-Lukas Pavilion. (Karel de Grote Hogeschool). In 1996 she started her own unique business with a workshop atelier in the heart of Leuven. She had already developeda broad interest in stones, architecture, alternative healing and mysticism, but in the beginning her focus was mainly on aesthetic classic and design jewellery.
Gradually, she follows her passions and finds the unquenchable courage to walk her own path. Inspired by her long journeys and the special people she meets / encounters along the way, she immerses herself over the years in the wonderful world of crystals and energetic healing such as Reiki. She follows additional courses on the power of gemstones, sacred geometry and symbols. Apart from this, she continues to receive technical training, which means that multiple techniques shape her designs.
The cumulative effort of all this has made Karla Mertens into the jewellery designer she is today. Pure and inspiring. Her intuition is her greatest strength. Nature, sacred symbols & geometry, many derived from ancient cultures and traditions, remain her biggest inspiration. From her own workshop, she makes her pieces by hand. She combines elegant design with the powerful energies of the stones- and metals. How Karla Mertens works, is to connect the scientific, creative and energetic, sacred worlds; and to divert them into one.
Amerikalaan 15 Leuven 3000 Belgium
More Info
OUR STORY
Simple comme Bonjour is a refined Belgian jewellery brand with a unique, quirky twist. Apart from our permanent collection of timeless jewellery, we also offer people a helping hand in designing and creating a golden memento of the special moments that life bestows on us.
Master goldsmith Inneke Goyvaerts makes every piece by hand according to the artisanal tradition. Every piece of jewellery carries her masterstamp, an officially recognized quality label that she is allowed to mark her jewellery with since 2006.
You can also recognize her jewellery by the original and somewhat quirky designs yet extremely technical. Always in a subtle way so the jewels don’t lose their timeless and refined look.
A PURE STORY, FROM BEGINNING TO END
For Inneke a design is more than just its appearance. It’s a prolonging from your identity and carries a story in it. A story to cherish a lifelong, to carry with you every day and to pass onto the next generation.
Therefore Inneke crafts her jewellery solely in gold, the most durable precious metal. We consciously choose to work with honest or recycled gold and for this we proudly received the Fairmined label. Our certificated diamonds are originated from conflict-free areas and our production process as well as our packaging are done the most ecological way possible. That way your jewel represent a pure memory of your own personal story.
PERSONAL GUIDANCE
The creation of a jewel for the most precious moment of your or someone else’s life is not always that easy. That’s why at Simple comme Bonjour we offer you a framework with different possibilities and personal guidance in making the right choices when it comes to materials, design and finishing touch. So that all these result in a unique piece that perfectly represents you or your loved ones.
Motstraat 54 Mechelen 2800 Belgium
Christa Reniers
Christa ReniersMore Info
Christa Reniers is one of Belgium’s leading contemporary jewellery designers. She started in the 90’s in Brussels to develop the first pieces of her collection. She has a very strong and personal style which is easily recognizable. Each jewel is handcrafted by Christa personally with a very high quality finishing, in 18k gold or in sterling silver 925.
The brand is classy and upscale due to the high quality of the products and the very exclusive design that require skilled jeweller craftsmen.
Always very innovative when launched on the market, the Christa Reniers jewellery pieces become “classics” after a few years due to her timeless and unique style that fits as well for the everyday life as for exceptional events.
Oude Graanmarktstraat 65 Rue du Vieux Marché aux Grains 65 BRUSSELS 1000 Belgium
Ingrid Verhoeven
Ingrid VerhoevenMore Info
MY STORY
My work is influenced by the colors and shapes that I enjoy having around me. I like the precision and craftsmanship so many objects and art pieces – past and present – are made with. I also find pleasure in the playful and ordinary things I encounter in everyday life. This combination of playfulness and precise technique can be found in my collections.
Earlier work clearly communicates my affection for Modernism and Constructivism. And although gradually my work has become gentler and more female, still today these schools remain sources of inspiration. Both images are compilations of ‘sketches’ I made throughout the years. The picture also contains a favourite painting, in small print, of Wassily Kandinsky.
All rings, bracelets and necklaces, made in the workshop after March 2012, are marked with this graphic logo.
The jewelry is designed and produced in the private workshop in Antwerp. Some pieces, like the paper pieces, lacquered dots, rings and bracelets, take a few weeks to finish because they need time to dry and harden.
Important for me, and fun, is the research I do. Throughout the years I collected (and continue to do so) images of Art and Applied Art of favourite Artists. This study helped to build up a personal graphical style.
I do sometimes look at other (antique) jewelry, but my main sources of inspiration lay elsewhere.
The second step in the design process is sketching. Not only by making tests in metal, as shown above, but also by drawing and writing about the work
Besides working with classical materials like silver and gold, I look for other ways of bringing print and color into my jewelry. This often results in working with ‘ordinary’ office supplies, such as vintage Dymo tapes and Letratone prints, the latter were used a lot by graphic designers and architects in the Eighties. I also use ink, paint, markers and dry color pigments.
These non-common materials and various sources of inspiration, form a base for my work.
Generaal Eisenhowerlei 40 Antwerp 2140 Belgium
Camille Belgian Creation
Camille Belgian CreationMore Info
CAMILLE, CRÉATRICE DE BIJOUX À BRUXELLES
En coulisse…
À l’époque, j’avais besoin de changer d’air, de voir autre chose que la cité ardente où j’ai grandi. J’ai donc décidé avec une amie de venir étudier à Bruxelles.
J’avais 17 ans, je ne connaissais pas cette ville, mais nous étions jeunes et insouciantes. Mon diplôme de sciences de gestion en poche, je me lance alors dans le stylisme. Pendant trois années, je développe ainsi ma créativité en réalisant des tenues plus extravagantes les unes que les autres.
Mais le temps venu de choisir exactement ce que je voulais faire de ma vie, c’est vers la création de bijoux que je me suis tournée. Ayant toujours créé des bijoux, cela n’a étonné personne quand j’ai expliqué mon choix à mon entourage. Ce qui a étonné par contre, c’est qu’à peine quelques mois plus tard, j’ouvrais ma première boutique !
Le choix de devenir indépendante n’était évidemment pas anodin ! (… Tout le monde est indépendant dans ma famille… )
Je voulais présenter mes propres collections, être mon propre boss, ne dépendre de personne. Je ne me suis posée aucune question ! J’ai foncé !
Nous voilà aujourd’hui sept ans plus tard. Le bilan est évidemment très positif.
J’ai la chance d’exercer chaque jour ma passion. J’ai la chance d’être merveilleusement bien entourée. J’ai la chance de vous rencontrer et d’échanger avec vous.
Créer un bijou, c’est vous dévoiler un peu de moi…
Entrer dans ma boutique, c’est plonger dans mon univers…
J’espère sincèrement que vous aurez autant de plaisir à porter mes bijoux, que j’en ai eu à les créer. Merci à vous toutes, qui êtes si fidèles.
Drève du Prieuré 1 Brussels 1160 Belgium
Isabelle Lenfant
Isabelle LenfantMore Info
IL concept
‘The most beautiful jewel a person can wear are the arms of the person she loves.
For those who have had the good fortune of finding this happiness and those who haven’t yet, I am here…’ (Isabelle Lenfant, inspired by Y.S.L.)
Transforming everyday objects into precious jewels and imprinting them with life’s sensibility so that they remain engraved in our memory: that is the approach chosen by Belgian jewellery designer Isabelle Lenfant for what she calls her Heart Jewels.
For Isabelle, jewels are highly symbolic: they can evoke a memory, a presence, a sense of protection…
They form a second skin… as well as a suit of armour between the body and the world, shielding it from the inevitable ups and downs that are part of a life lived to the fullest.
As Jeanne Moreau once said: ‘I don’t have much of a memory… but I do have souvenirs’. Jewels are that souvenir…
This jewel tells a story… Isabelle’s dream is that the people who wear her designs will appropriate them and imbue them with their own history, their own symbolism – their life, quite simply – and that they will thus wear… la vie en rose.
Isabelle Lenfant’s initials – ‘IL’ – blend both femininity and masculinity.
The collection ‘IL by Isabelle Lenfant’ reimagines everyday objects, such as a Band-Aid wrapped around a finger or applied on a neck or wrist. A silver or gold diamond, in whose split genuine jewels are inserted…
The branches of a tree to remind us that we are the only solid foundation of our lives…
As Juliette Binoche once said: ‘To dream, you must have your feet on the ground. The deeper the roots, the stronger the branches’.
The pieces in the collection are in 925 silver and in 18-carat gold. Some pieces are set with precious stones such as diamonds or rubies and have been designed in the finest tradition of jewellery design.
An important part of Isabelle’s research focuses on individuality, on the adaptable nature of her designs. The chains can thus be worn in different ways, and those who wear them are thus in a sense continuing her designs. The chains are ornamented with unusual symbols: a set of keys to unlock all possibilities, envelopes that are open to receive a secret, a love letter, a plug and socket to disconnect, smashed watches and their mechanisms to arrest time and live in the present…
The pieces in the collection ‘IL by Isabelle Lenfant’ are a presence one forgets, an ‘otherwise’. They carry us into a world lit up by the beauty of experience, of not-forgetting and of individuality. A world where life is punctuated by three ellipsis points and not a full stop. A world where adaptable jewels offer a blank page to those who wear them and imprint them with their own story, their own secrets, their own symbolism and thus turn the given piece into something unique, in their own image.
Know-how
« IL by Isabelle Lenfant » ART jewels are designed hand-crafted, in the pure jewellery tradition. Made in Belgium and in France.
“IL’s” creations exist in hand-polished sterling silver (925/1000) or charcoal grey oxidized.
Silver is a living matter that individualizes each creation. In time …life tarnishes and oxidizes it….This matter itself symbolizes the concept of uniqueness that is developed thereafter in Isabelle Lenfant’s creations… it consolidates and embraces it.
As “Il by Isabelle Lenfant”’s creations are neither silver plated again nor rhodium… they oxidise in the course of time … If you want them to remain as they are just clean them with a soft cloth or use a product for silver.
Though cut to the quick as if life had already brushed them… the chains are joined together by links soldered by hand.
Lockets are also hand-cut and each of the keys is chipped in a different way … that makes them unique.
Polishing makes it a mirror… reflecting shades and lights…
A large part of Isabelle Lenfant’s search focuses on individuality, on the adjustable side of her creations. Chains can be worn in various ways, in different lengths … what allows the one wearing the jewel to make it his/her own.
The Collection extends to 18 carat gold items, black, white…but mainly pink ones to wear life in another way.
Gold is a matter that time can’t deteriorate. That way it symbolizes the sparkle kept in our eyes despite our own life’s chaos…
Today “Il by Isabelle Lenfant” ‘s creations are set with precious stones, according to the stones symbolic and colours, inside the ring allowing the skin to be in contact with the stone and its qualities
Own desires and secrets could also be engraved…
Custom-made jewels to transform the proposed item into one unique piece reflecting the one who will adopt it….
29 rue vilain XIV Brussels 1000 Belgium