Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Kings of the catwalk

Belgian designers are now in key positions at major fashion houses worldwide. Veerle Windels introduces the country’s finest

Consider what can happen when an old-fashioned house brings in a new name. Whatever Galliano touches at Dior turns to gold, and the same can be said about Marc Jacobs at Vuitton, Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, and, until 2003, Tom Ford at Gucci. Major companies like these are constantly looking for individuals who will help secure the future of their fashion houses. The success of designers like Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester and Martin Margiela has meant that headhunters have been keeping an eye on Belgium for some time, but it’s the country’s younger generation of talent that really attracts their attention.

Raf Simons is one such talent. Having studied product design in the Belgian city of Genk, Simons did an internship at Walter Van Beirendonck’s studio in Antwerp and got hooked on the fashion world while working backstage at one of Van Beirendonck’s Paris shows. Simons learned the finesses of the trade from an Antwerp-based tailor, and started a collection of his own in the mid-90s.

Fashion-watchers immediately labelled Simons a phenomenon because he seemed to speak the language of teenagers and artists alike, and perfectly captured their way of dressing. His Raf Simons line was soon featured in cult bibles such as i-D and Wallpaper* magazines, gaining him a whole new audience of fans. In 2004 Simons was wooed by Jil Sander, where he landed the job of artistic director. Along with his friend Patrick Van Ommeslaeghe he helped create a brand that is forward-looking while respectful of its all-important heritage. Simons also continues to run his own label, and still shows in Paris during Fashion Week.

He is considered one of the fashion world’s most influential creatives, and is notoriously reclusive.

While Raf Simons hates being photographed, fellow Belgian designer Olivier Theyskens is a red-carpet regular – especially in Paris and New York, where he loves to dress actresses and singers. Theyskens, a dropout from Brussels’ La Cambre visual arts school, moved to Paris in his early 20s and started up a fashion business on his own. His first shows – described as “gothic extravaganzas” – won him attention from French Vogue. In 2002 he was asked to become the artistic director at Rochas, and immediately attracted the attention of fashion gurus such as Anna Wintour of American Vogue and Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune, both of whom adored his elegant, French-inspired vision for women.

When the owners of Rochas announced the discontinuation of the brand’s fashion division in favour of concentrating on perfumes, Theyskens was out of a job. Before long, however, he was approached to become artistic director at Nina Ricci, a somewhat forgotten Paris fashion house in need of new blood. Theyskens continues to impress here, and the fashion crowd quite simply adores him.

Bruno Pieters is another Belgian success story. After completing his fashion degree at the Antwerp Academy in 1999, he immediately started out on his own, making couture garments and showing them in Paris. Slowly he moved into prêt-à-porter, setting up a menswear line that obviously caught the attention of the board of directors at Hugo Boss headquarters in Metzingen (Germany), because Pieters was asked to become creative director of the HUGO diffusion line in June last year. He showed his first HUGO collection in January at Berlin’s Tempelhof airport, unveiling an abundance of clean tailoring that set a strong standard for HUGO’s future.

These three big talents may have been lured by the major players but can this be considered true success? Some people claim that securing the future of the big fashion houses in this way comes at the expense of the small fashion houses. Simons and Pieters themselves refute this, both saying that it is precisely these lucrative deals with the major houses that have enabled them to continue producing their own collections.

There is little doubt that Simons, Theyskens and Pieters share an essentially Belgian approach to their art. In fashion terms, being Belgian stands for a particular creative language, an open-minded outlook and a will to succeed. For one thing, Belgian designers tend to start from scratch each season – something they learned at their fashion schools, where individual concepts are favoured over standardised routines.

Another trait of Belgian designers is that they tend to keep their feet on the ground, rarely getting carried away by the flattery of the fashion crowd, and keeping their nose to the grindstone. Simons travels from Milan to Antwerp every two weeks, Bruno Pieters keeps to his Antwerp workshop but is in constant contact with Hugo Boss, and Theyskens prefers Paris and rarely has time to return to Brussels. All three are renowned for working like crazy, which, many would argue, is the only way to make it in fashion.

Will their success continue? Nothing is certain in the notoriously fickle world of fashion, but the signs all look good.

FR Mode, c’est Belge!

Les grandes compagnies comme LVMH et le Groupe Gucci sont constamment à la recherche d’individus qui peuvent les aider à construire le futur de leurs maisons de mode, et les chasseurs de têtes gardent un oeil sur la Belgique depuis quelque temps déjà. Raf Simons a offert une cure de jouvence à Jil Sander, Olivier Theyskens continue à imprimer sa marque sur Nina Ricci, et Bruno Pieters ajoute une touche d’avant-garde à la ligne HUGO de Hugo Boss.

Raf Simons a démarré une collection personnelle dans le milieu des années 90. Les professionnels de la mode l’ont immédiatement qualifié de phénomène parce qu’il parlait à la fois le langage des ados et des artistes. En 2004, Simons était courtisé par Jil Sander, où il atterrit comme directeur artistique. Depuis, il a prouvé qu’il savait comment aborder la modernité tout en respectant l’héritage d’une marque établie.

Olivier Theyskens représente lui aussi une histoire de succès. Ce jeune formé dans une école belge de mode s’est installé à Paris au début de ses 20 ans, démarrant son propre business. Rapidement il devient directeur artistique chez Rochas, ensuite il rejoint Nina Ricci, où il fait toujours aussi grande impression.

Lorsque Bruno Pieters remporte son diplôme de l’Académie d’Anvers en 1999, il démarre immédiatement son affaire, créant des vêtements de haute couture et les montrant à Paris. Il se dirige progressivement vers le prêt-à-porter, lançant une ligne pour hommes. En juin de l’année dernière, HUGO lui a demandé de devenir directeur de création. Pieters a montré sa première collection HUGO en janvier à Berlin, à l’aéroport de Tempelhof, avec des coupes épurées, établissant clairement la tendance pour le futur de la marque.

En termes de mode, être Belge est synonyme de création, avec un langage particulier. L’ouverture d’esprit, une volonté de réussir et une forte éthique professionnelle entrent également en jeu. Leur succès durera-t-il ? Rien n’est certain dans ce monde de la mode connu pour son esprit fluctuant, mais jusqu’à présent les signes sont positifs…

NL Belgische snit

Grote bedrijven als LVMH en de Gucci Group zijn steeds op zoek naar jong talent om de toekomst van hun modehuizen te verzekeren. Daarbij houden headhunters België al een tijdje in het oog. Raf Simons wist Jil Sander immers nieuw leven in te blazen, Olivier Theyskens blijft zijn stempel drukken op Nina Ricci en Bruno Pieters geeft de HUGO-lijn bij Hugo Boss een avant-gardistische toets.

Raf Simons begon in het midden van de jaren 1990 met een eigen collectie. Modegoeroes droegen hem meteen op handen omdat hij feilloos zowel tieners als kunstenaars aansprak. Jil Sander wist Simons in 2004 te strikken als artistiek directeur. Ondertussen heeft hij bewezen een vernieuwende aanpak perfect te kunnen combineren met de erfenis van een gevestigd merk.

Olivier Theyskens is nog zo’n Belgisch succesverhaal. Zonder de modeschool af te maken verhuisde hij als jonge twintiger naar Parijs om zijn eigen modezaak te beginnen. Al snel schopte hij het tot artistiek directeur bij Rochas. Later verhuisde Theyskens naar Nina Ricci, waar hij blijft imponeren.

Met zijn modediploma van de Antwerpse Academie op zak begon Bruno Pieters in 1999 meteen voor eigen rekening en trok hij met zijn couturekleding naar de catwalks van Parijs. Geleidelijk ging hij over op confectiekleding met een eigen mannenlijn. In juni vorig jaar haalde HUGO hem binnen als creatief directeur. Pieters stelde in januari zijn eerste HUGO-collectie voor in de Berlijnse luchthaven Tempelhof. Zijn zuivere ontwerpen vormen een sterke basis voor de toekomst van HUGO.

De Belgen staan in de modewereld bekend voor hun unieke creatieve taal. Daarnaast wordt hun open visie, doorzettingsvermogen en sterke werkethiek geprezen. Of hun ster blijft schitteren, is in de wispelturige modewereld natuurlijk nooit zeker, maar de voortekenen zijn alvast gunstig…

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