FIBR
FIBRMore Info
OUR MISSION
MEET FIBR. THE FAIRCHAIN ALPACA SWEATER. SOFT ON YOUR SKIN AS EASY ON YOUR CONSCIENCE. FIBR BRINGS RADICALLY COMFORTABLE BASICS, YOU ARE PROUD TO WEAR.
The fashion industry has some of the most complex and unfair supply chains in the world. FIBR believes that creating transparency is a first step towards fairness. Today, only 7% of fashion brands know where their materials come from.
Some room for change, if you ask us.
THE FIBR SUPPLY CHAIN
FIBR IS FAIRCHAIN KNITWEAR: FAIRNESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL, ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE VALUE CHAIN.
Fairchain knitwear takes it a step further, rethinking the entire value chain from the source of the raw materials right to your closet.
FIBR connects three strong local players in PERU, all doing their part to make the Peruvian alpaca sector more fair. By connecting these dots, we managed to set up our own value chain and bring you a product of which we know exactly who made it, where it has been and of which we can be sure that everyone is treated well.
OUR PRINCIPLES
QUALITY IS WHERE IT STARTS
We bring you a timeless sweater made from 100% alpaca fibre, a natural fibre which is praised for its robustness and warmness. This sweater is made to last! And if not, a repair kit will teach you all the tricks.
TRANSPARENCY TO THE BONE
Discover where your money goes to, and all the steps your FIBR sweater has been through. No need to hide our imperfections. We rather would like to share them with you and show where improvement is still needed.
EVERY SWEATER COUNTS
We know that we won’t change the world (although we would love to). But we do know that big changes are made by many small steps.
Leading by example, we tell the clothing industry to dive into their supply chains and show more ambition. We are convinced the fashion sector needs small disruptive ideas to evolve and innovate. Every sweater sold means that another person is inspired by our story. Which is something huge!
PRE-ORDER
AT FIBR WE WORK WITH A PRE-ORDER SYSTEM. THIS MEANS THAT WE ONLY START PRODUCTION AFTER A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF PIECES IS ORDERED. TO CONTRIBUTE TO YEARROUND WORK STABILITY FOR THE KNITTERS, PRODUCTION IS IN LOW SEASON, FROM FEBRUARY UNTIL EARLY APRIL.
Tarbotstraat 10 Ghent 9000 Belgium
Oxana Yan
Oxana YanMore Info
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.
Eric Beauduin
Eric BeauduinMore Info
Eric Beauduin started working with second hand materials ten years ago.
This decision was more instinctively than from an ecological conviction and he dissected old clothes to make bags.
The details and secrets of clothes and accessories such as pockets, buttonholes, lining and reinforcements have always caught his interest more than the overall aspect of clothes.
Initially he used clothes in fabric, men’s suit, shirts, coats, but quickly moved on to leather clothes.
The patina of a used leather trench, bomber or jacket gives the soul of his accessories.
Season after season he invents hand made bags with techniques coming from clothes tailoring and leather goods traditions.
Each piece is an experiment. The original clothes pockets, seams and details, the different leathers,
the colors of the passed fashion are transposed into the bags.
The shapes and the use of the bags change following the demands and desires, but the concept is always the same.
Everything is made in the designer’s house in Brussels.
Impossible to duplicate a piece.
A limited production of by number labeled pieces.
Few sofisticated selling points in Belgium, France, Japan, USA.
Should this be named slow fashion?
THINGS
All bags are cut in second hand leather jackets, trenches, bombers, skirts.
The handles, slings, straps, piping are made in the same leather.
The material is all kinds of soft and smooth leather such as lamb’s leather, calfskin, goat’s leather used in manufacturing leather clothes.
The leather is usually lined with fabric.
Some of the models are reinforced with felt inside.
The inside is made with the same leather and a black “pocketting” fabric so that keys or sharp metal
objects don’t cause any damage.
Conscious Antwerp
Conscious AntwerpMore Info
Hello! Meet CONSCIOUS ANTWERP, and what we stand for.
If you love beautiful and sustainable clothing design as much as we do, you’ve come to the right place. Conscious Antwerp is a new clothing concept created and designed with an eye for both style and sustainability from start to finish. By combining the principles of ‘ethical and sustainable business’ ( which is a very interesting course at UA by the way!) with a passion for quality and design Conscious Antwerp was transformed from dream to reality.
Our mission is to deliver beautiful, high-quality and timeless items with a luxurious yet casual appearance, which you can wear with proud and without guilt!
We deliver this promise by producing locally and with a sustainable use of materials. The reason we chose this more costly manner is because we consciously want to produce fair clothing with a minimal CO2 impact. Now you know that your clothing is not only unique in design but also in value. 😉
Our vision is to become big by staying small, so we don’t do any harm.
Our mission and vision tell our values, but they also determine the external features of our clothing such as shape, color, texture and dimension. The pieces are unique in appearance due to the combination of the leftover materials and the simplicity and longevity of the designs.
‘Only great minds can afford simple style’
Rijnkaai 20 bus1 Antwerp 2000 Belgium
Klaar Devillé
Klaar DevilléMore Info
Klaar Devillé
The brand
Design and craftsmanship can perfectly stand together. If you work with natural materials you can combine them perfectly. Even more so: Belgian designers excel at it. The luxurious line of bags by Klaar Devillé fits perfectly within this spirit.
Bringing a new brand onto the market that stands for affordable high quality and authenticity is not an easy task. Unless you know perfectly well why.
The desire for purity, fierce elegance, quality, comfort, wearability, durability, and above all honesty, made Klaar take the step towards her own timeless and minimalistic high-end collection handmade bags.
The designer
Klaar Devillé comes from a large, artistic family of musicians, artists, and theatre-makers. Art, architecture, ballet, and theatre are what inspire her.
Klaar studied Slavic Languages and Eastern European Studies at the KULeuven and worked for several years as an analyst Eastern Europe for the Belgian State Security. When Klaar was part of a foreign security service recruitment progam in 2004, she decided to quit her job and return to her old love, fashion.
Klaar decided to study fashion design in Antwerp and maroquinerie (leatherworks) in Brussels and founded Atelier Devillé a few years later together with her husband.
Klaar is a mother of 3 and sister of award-winning theater author and director Stijn Devillé.
Store opens on:
Wed: 12.00 – 18.00h
Thu, Fri & Sat: 11.00 – 18.30h
1st & 3th Sunday of the month: 12.00 – 17.00h
Closed on Monday & Tuesday
Volkstraat 20 Antwerp 2000 Belgium
Leeuwerikstraat 8 Rotselaar 3110 Belgium
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We love your curiosity,
And we are more than happy to respond to it.
We will explain you who we are, what we do and why.
To make it short, the best way to dress is to wear second hand clothes. However for underwear… it’s more complicated. Our mission is to create a well made and comfortable underwear that lasts.
Our first aim is to produce in a responsible way
Sustainable fabric
MicroModal™ is an eco-friendly fiber made from responsibly sourced wood pulp. The wood pulp is dissolved in a closed-loop process with a non-toxic organic solvent, then the solution is forced through tiny holes in order to create a magical biodegradable fiber that feels softer and lighter than cotton. See our supplier Lenzing.
Traceability
We are proud to have a 100% European product from the raw material sustainably sourced in Austrian forest, to the printing and the final touch in Porto, Portugal. Our suppliers are an inspiration for us to always try to improve ourselves to reach the best product possible for your butt and the planet!
Durability
We are very happy to work with an experienced factory. Together we tested and corrected our underwear to have a product that lasts. Because without that, it wouldn’t be sustainable. That’s why we now propose 3 years of warranty on our products.
Rue de Londres 18 Brussels 1050 Belgium
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About
What if reducing our waste and our environmental footprint went through the relocation of natural textile fibers and an ethical and transparent textile industry?
Design for resilience Studio is a textile research workshop based in Braine-L’Alleud (Brabant Wallon, Belgique), for a zero waste, zero plastic, and an healthy lifestyle, founded by Vanessa Colignon.
We want to allow everyone to reduce their environmental and social footprint, by reducing our waste and the spread of micro-plastics in nature through the creation of clothing and accessories in natural, local and solid fibers, produced in circuit- short and with respect for the living.
The relocation of production, brought about by a strengthening of European environmental standards in the 90s and the attractiveness of low-cost labour; not benefiting from any social protection in countries where lax environmental regulations do not allow to protect the nature, health, land and drinking water of the inhabitants of the producing countries has allowed the advent of fast fashion such as we know it today, to the detriment of living beings and the planet.
Today, we can no longer tolerate this race for productivity and the resulting toxicity of production. This is why we are focusing our forces in particular on the relocation of the production of natural, resistant and ecological textile materials in Belgium and on innovation in the craftsmanship of naturally ecological materials by working in particular with one of the last hosiery factories from Belgium.
Producing in a short circuit allows us to guarantee respect for workers and living things, while limiting our dependence on fossil fuels.
Braine-l’Alleud Belgium
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ABOUT US
NIELS PEERAER
is an eponymous leather goods label, founded by Antwerp designer Niels Peeraer, established and based in Paris ca. 2011
VISION & CHAPTER 2/
After 8 years of introducing our “no limit to cuteness” it’s time to start writing a second chapter to our storyline, and use a more translated approach to cuteness. Continuing a genderless balance of sensitivity vs. toughness, but shifting from a focus on ornamentation to a more elaborate form study and styling versatility, while keeping our practical architectural volumes.
We decided to still keep our first generation classics available in our Made to Order section, which will be handmade in our Paris atelier. All our pieces are created without any gender-tag, they are here for to any human who feels connected to them.
TECHNIQUE/
Niels Peeraer bags have no stitching, and are entirely assembled through screws and custom made gold or nickle hardware.
Through this self-developed technique we can achieve cleaner lines and strength on our pieces.
MATERIAL AND SUSTAINABILITY/
Our vegetable tanned cow hide is sourced from Scandinavia, as a byproduct from meat consumption. In respect for the animal, we use the leather in its entirety, including parts that others might regard as imperfections.
We’re strong believers in the Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi 「侘寂」, finding beauty in imperfections, always with deep respect and appreciation for the integrity of the natural materials and processes.
We do not use lining or cover the inside of our pieces, but use a special waxing-process to create a smooth surface, as well as use a natural gum-based finish for our edges. It’s important for us not to use any chemical or environmental toxic component within our materials, nor production process.
All our materials are sourced within Europe and our pieces are handmade in either Spain or our own atelier in Paris, to minimize our footprint.
17 Rue de Picardie Paris 75003 France
Fam
FamThe LabelMore Info
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