What shops to visit in Brussels
Before you - a new rubric Wonderzine "Pereves." For her, people close to us in spirit tell about stores in their favorite cities of the world, which cannot be missed on a trip and from where it is impossible to leave without shopping. In the second issue, Wonderzine fashion editor Rita Zubatova talks about stores in Brussels - here she came to the show of the design school La Cambre, but discovered much more.
Brussels is small enough to walk between the main shopping points, and large enough to continue to discover new places. Vintage lovers will find the most beautiful dresses from the 1960s, and local designer hunters will find local minimalist studios. It is fascinating that the owners of local concept stores are so burning with their work that they gather around themselves a kind of community. Walking through the shopping streets on Friday or Saturday, in the windows you can see relaxed people buying Christophe Lemaire dresses with glasses in their hands and sets of local DJs.
Brussels, like any small European city, is fascinated by the fact that shop owners literally live by them. At the entrance to the store Nicolas Woit & Archives you can meet its founder, rubbing the steps at the entrance. He is pleased to greet each client and show the room, reminiscent of an old salon. There is clothing of his own brand, but, to be honest, you should pay attention to the vintage sector - for him he collects Marc Jacobs, Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester dresses from different seasons. Everything is in excellent condition.
Icon showcases of Thakoon are hanging against the background of huge cacti in the Icon window. Inside - almost a complete collection of Isabel Marant, things Theyskens' Theory, Acne, Humanoid, 3.1. Phillip Lim, Dagmar and a lot of fresh flowers. The store owner, who looks like a real French woman, is so busy entertaining clients that we are somehow afraid to distract her. Dear employee says she is ready to help with anything: they have a team work here.
Before the Stijl concept store opened on Rue A.Dansaertstraat in the 1980s, the street was, frankly, questionable. A teacher at the local university, La Cambre, says that in childhood her parents did not even let her close to the area where all the coolest boutiques, multi-brands and studios of local brands have opened since then. Stijl has the best selection of Belgian designers named: Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, A.F. Vandevorst, Raf Simons. In addition, they support young brands: for example, for the next season they bought Krist - designers who graduated from college only this year.
A shop with a pleasant name is the second project of the owners of Stijl. Initially, only eco-clothes were sold here, but soon the team realized that the materials for it were expensive (respectively, the price was high), and the brands themselves were little known. In order not to abandon them completely and survive, the store bought things more recognizable Veronique Branquinho, Honest by Bruno Pieters and Christopher Reburn. Now, everyone who likes the atmosphere of Stijl is dear here, but you want clothes that are more cheerful: organic, inorganic - it doesn't matter
A pleasant shop of authentic Belgian optics in the center of the shopping district. In a futuristic room, you will check your eyesight on the spot and pick up the desired frame or sunglasses. Scarves can be bought here.
Once, in the Marcel de Bruxelles stores, you could only find underwear and home clothes. Over time, the brand began to create high-grade men's, women's and children's collections. Here you can find tennis cotton dresses (140 euros), soft jackets for denim (150 euros) and cute children's clothes that imitate the sailor’s uniform. Locals love Marcel de Bruxelles for the quality and simple design, tourists bring T-shirts with a logo as a souvenir.
One of the most charming concept stores of Brussels. The owners of Od and Nils themselves look for objects all over the world, every season they change the interior and store logo, greet you behind the counter and arrange foolish parties inside (for example, they invited Elton John to play the double). In Hunting and Collecting, there is a wonderful selection of things - from Kenzo, Christophe Lemaire, Raf Simons, Ostwald Helgason clothes to Carven perfumes, Bless bed linen and various books about art.
Collections of the brand, created by two sisters, are attributed directly to American and European culture. These are things with a light teen spirit - bombers with shiny inserts, sweatshirts with chains, and tweed leather jackets. If you wait for a trip to Brussels already unbearable, clothes Filles à papa can be bought in the online store of the brand. There, by the way, the sale began.
A tiny shoe store with the most desirable models of Dries Van Noten, Aperlai, Chloé and Veronique Branquinho. It also sells shoes of lesser-known brands Ellen Verbeek and Nathalie Verlinden, creating shoes and bags made of organic leather. It is always a pleasure to run here after shopping in Stijl - it is located directly opposite.
Designer from Brussels Jean-Paul Knott creates concise things that fans of Ann Demeulemeester and Raf Simons might like. Well-tailored trousers or a jacket are quite expensive for a local designer (450-500 dollars), but the designers assure that they will work out this money.
The interior store with the plain name Showroom is a project of two friends. Tom Maras, a university design graduate from Ghent and Brussels, creates laconic furniture, and Frank Pei, an artist and musician, collects old children's furniture, toys, and games. All this, together with objects created in collaboration with other designers, artists and architects, can be seen in a spacious room on Rue de Flandre. Here, negotiate a price.
The only store, the address of which we will not specify. The fact is that recently Ménage à Deux has closed to move to a new place: where - we will find out soon on the site. It’s worth looking for, suffering and waiting: in the concept store created by two guys from Poland, Vanessa Vukicevich and Ranom Janiv, young Belgian designers were sold along with famous avant-garde designers like JC de Castelbajac and great parties were held. There you could also find Vanessa's clothing line, which, by the way, graduated from the design course at La Cambre school.
Network store that supports the good old Heritage style. Barbour waxen jackets, Engineered Garments suits and Nigel Cabourn shirts are sold here. The store has nice guys who will not hang over the soul, while you walk around the hall, and help at the right time. If you are lucky, they will call for a party, which often happens here.
Many people manage to find Yves Saint Laurent blouses or Ralph Lauren suits in perfect condition in vintage shops, but in most cases faded sweats and fur coats with a characteristic smell come across in such shops. At Rue Saint Christophe and Rue des Chartreux, finding a good vintage is easy. At the first - the network second-hand Think Twice. He does not replete with things for which I want to sell my soul, but even here you can find a skirt of the perfect cut for 5 (yes, 5!) Euros. The most interesting is on the perpendicular street Rue des Chartreux. The legendary second-hand here is a tightly stuffed Gabriele Vintage. If you dig for a long time, you can find trousers in sequins from the 1980s for 50 euros or a lace dress from the 1920s for 70 euros. If you want less, but better, much more like Isabelle Bajart, located behind the wall. Here you can see the beautiful scarves of Christian Dior and Lanvin (20-30 euros), a leather jacket with gold stucco (130 euros) and classic Chanel shoes (80 euros). Further down the street directly opposite Hunting and Collecting is a tiny vintage shop, which is easy to miss - it has no sign. There is the best selection of jewelry.