Brussels Fashion Days 2012

Brussels Fashion Days Exhibition

Brussels Fashion Days 2012

The atmosphere was buzzing with expectations, fashion lovers and professionals took place in the tribunes and as the lights went out, a unanimous feeling of excitement filled the room. The spots slowly went on again and shone a light on a contemporary silhouette. Indie beats accompanying a model strutting down the runway. The biggest Belgian fashion event had just kicked off.



The first Brussels Fashion Days in the history of Belgium took place in a 10 000m² space, as dedicated to fashion as it’s visitors. For three consecutive days the organization transformed the site into an enormous design Walhalla with more then 50 designers, various photo exhibitions (by Luc Praet & Serge Leblon), a big pop-up clothing expo & 4 catwalk shows. Belgian talent, easy to be discovered by an international audience of connaisseurs. For every visitor, there was something to love.



left: OMSK  / right: Sandrina Fasoli

Arto Mangelschots wearing Romain Brau

The shows itself were kind of vanilla. Serving up the codes of established fashion houses. Simple & wearable were the key words. Commercial pieces that were exquisitely made but lacked in innovation. The real lookers weren’t on the catwalk, they were watching it. Personal favorites were Romain Brau (fashion rebel avant la lettre and owner of RA Antwerp & Paris, two avant-garde clothingstores) and Jean Paul Knott (who stunned with designs reminiscent of comme des garcons).

The exhibition made up for everything the shows lacked, showcasing up-and-coming Belgian talent. (the works of Arma Cutis, Céline Lellouche and Marjorie Vermeulen definitely struck a cord with me) There were only names to remember and none to forget. With an accessory & clothing expo and various photo expositions, they presented a real panorama of Belgian design. A fashion forward scene, eager to take risks, armored with creativity. Brussels is booming. And knows how to throw a killer afterparty.

Text & editing: Jordi Nicolas Arias
Pictures by Fatih M. Kaynak

http://www.brusselsfashiondays.be/

Louise Leconte at Maison Martin Margiela Brussels

One of the prettiest sights in Brussels during Modo Parcours 2012 is the Maison Martin Margiela store. The walls of the MMM store are covered with work of fashion designer Louise Leconte.
The stunning images are shot by photographer Lalo Gonzalez.

http://www.louiseleconte.com





























Have a look at Louise Leconte graduation collection at La Cambre Show 2012 

Louise Leconte Show 2012 @ La Cambre Mode[s] Show from Catwalkpictures.com on Vimeo.

Mémoire Universelle by Benoit Bethume at Hunting and Collecting

Mémoire Universelle by Benoit Bethume world premiere took place last night at Hunting and Collecting concept store in Brussels.

In connection with the premiere of Mémoire Universelle there was an fashion installation in collaboration with: Anthony Vaccarello, Céline De Schepper, Jean-Paul Lespagnard, Own, Tim van Steenbergen, Veronique Leroy, Didier Vervaeren, Cedric Charlier, Stephanie Croibien, Mademoiselle Jean, Olivia Hainaut, Christian Wijnants, Sandrina Fasoli, Jan Jan van Essche, JEANPAULKNOTT, Louise Leconte.

Since he was a child, Benoît Bethume has collected and stored thousands of images in his head. Depictions of the beautiful, the scarce, the incongruous, of the posing woman and the staggering man, the silent child, the photographer, the bow in the hair, the vague gaze, of time, day, night, trouble: these images are sorted and classified in a manner that is exclusively his own.
A renowned stylist and curatorial associate for titles that include I-D, Vogue, Marie Claire, Elle and L’Express Style, he also functions as an advisor to brands that include Carven, Véronique Leroy, Paule Ka, Petit Bateau. With unrivalled clarity of vision, he is an image consultant, an emotional interpreter, a visual narrator. And a photographer. And Belgian – from Namur. And the designer of this issue of Mémoire Universelle (M.U), the first of a series of nine, called Oh, l’Amour!

Spread over 300 pages, structured into four main chapters, and featuring four different cover designs, this extended edition of Mémoire Universelle documents the trail of the heart, bound and illustrated. Not a magazine, but perhaps a bookzine, – a vast work that leaves room for reflection, image creation, interviews, and stories. All with a certain lightness, due in part to the gravity of the subject: love, with all its facets and obsessive tendencies. These pages document the fashion, art, cinema, and music that bring Benoît Bethume’s images to life: his words, characters, and locations set firmly in stone.”

http://www.huntingandcollecting.com