Encounter with KRJST, an emerging fashion brand from Brussels (Belgium) founded by designer Erika Schillebeeckx and Justine de Moriamé.
Who are you? Where do you come from? What is your field of specialisation?
KRJST was born in May 2012. Our brand is in the continuity of a Master’s Degree at La Cambre, in Brussels, where we met. We developed our creativity and learned to manage the different steps to create a collection, which requires endurance and dedication abilities to affirm and defend our opinions. We both are passionate about art on a more general level, and we both have different but complementary personalities. Justine has a tendency to produce more harmonious and detailed work, whereas Erika develops a more natural and experimental work. Since the establishment of our brand, some unbelievable people have joined the team; Pam Mertens, Monsieur Pimpant-Draftman and Sébastien Delahaye.
Your label is called KRJST. Where does the name come from? The KR from Erika And the JST from Justine.
How did you two end up working together?
After we finished our scholarship at La Cambre. Both of us were thinking what to do after graduation; how to manage ourselves, our thoughts and our beliefs, our love for art and fashion. After some pondering, many cups of coffee, we realised that we share the same ideas for the future.
Do you have a philosophy for designing?
KRJST arises from the confrontation of different artistic visions. Indeed, we think of ourselves as a platform that invites artists with various skills and backgrounds to the dialogue. The textile and graphic research, as well as the development of innovative techniques, is KRJST's rallying point through the high-end collections of ready-to-wear for men and women. Our philosophy is to be found in the symbiosis of the elements and people who are part of KRJST’s project.
What place or city do you find inspiring?
Tokio, it seems to us that it is the place where people dare the most.
Feeding the Ghosts is the name of your collection. Did you work on some personal encounters with ghosts throughout the process of designing this collection?
The collection has been particularly nurtured by South-African artist William Kentridge and his work in which he reflects on his own country haunted by a “past that does not pass”, as well as on traumas and human condition in general. Through this way of thinking we worked the notion of Feeding the Ghosts as a message of resistance towards dominant culture and attest the will to give voice to the “ghosts” that history has forgotten.
South Africa functions as an important reflection point for your collection. What do you find fascinating about the country?
KRJST works with the ideas of transmission and rallying traditions like spirituality, music and reveries. We aim to get to know our past, to understand our traditions and beliefs. This is essential in order to go forward. South Africa could reflect our obsession with history and its leftovers that we try to translate artistically. There are the dual processes of deconstruction and reconstruction, as well as individualization and collectivization present. Individual stories, or clothes, are used to epitomize a common experience which can be revisited again and again to give them new meanings. Slavery, life on the plantations, Apartheid legacies are all part of the haunting past that has given birth to this collection. Feeding the Ghosts alludes to such experiences, it reveals scars left by the past and exploits the ambiguous feelings that are linked to history(ies).
What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country?We like the Belgian Spirit in the fashion industry, meaning that there are lots of people who are attracted to fashion and art in Belgium and give them true worth. We like to be a part of this Belgian wave of designers, who export themselves and who have a real personality. So, it's nice to start a brand in Brussels even though we would love people to express themselves more through their looks!
What attracts you about the FASHIONCLASH platform?
The concept of the platform that regroups different kinds of disciplines such as art and fashion; based on unexpected results and collaborations; and considering fashion as a contexts in which we are involved is exactly what KRJST is tending towards.
Describe you collection in three words. Curiosity, spirituality, dialogue.
Do you have a muse? Frida Kahlo, Whitney Houston, Sébastien Tellier and Serge Gainsbourg. All of them had a real influence on the world we are living in.
What kind of feeling do you want to transfer with your latest collection?We would like you to try the clothes on, and then feel more yourself than you have ever felt.
What on your playlist when you are working?
Radiohead, Damon Albarn, the Smiths, the Clash, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Edith Piaf, Sébastien Tellier, Devendra Banhart, Christophe, the Pixies, Pink Floyd, Whitney Houston, Kanye West, Jeff Buckley, Grizzlie Bear, Barbara, Treme, Barry White, Johnny Cash...the list goes on!
Who is your favourite fashion designer? Miuccia Prada, Berhart Wilhelm and Dries Van Noten.
What is your definition of style? To be at the top of yourself.
What has been the greatest experience in your ‘fashion’ career so far?
Seeing a total stranger walking in the street with our clothes on.
What can we expect from you in the future? We hope to survive between all the designers that are on the market and we hope that more and more people will believe in the brand and wear our clothes.
If your life were a song what would the title be? Somewhere over the Rainbow.
More information about KRJST: http://www.krjst.com
All images are by Team Peter Stigter.
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