A cabinet of curiosities is an encyclopedic collection in Renaissance Europe of types of objects whose categorial boundaries were yet to be defined. Modern terminology would categorize the objects included as belonging to natural history, geology, ethnography, archaeology, religious or historical relics, art works and antiquities. Read the rest of this entry »
Fact: Belgium was the first country, in continental Europe, in which the industrial revolution took place. As a result, Belgium is filled with working class houses! These small houses have been transformed (most of them in a doubtable way) through the decades by their respectable owners. Today, young owners opt to rebuild these houses in a more convenient and green way while keeping the spirit of the neighbourhood intact. The I Love Belgium team selected three projects to visualise this phenomenon. Read the rest of this entry »
With all the hype created for the H&M Maison Martin Margiela collection, people tend to forget that Belgium also has other designers. Yes there’s Dries, yes there’s Ann, yes there’s Raf, yes there’s A.F. Vandevorst,… But there’s a young wolfpack who are doing it for themselves even in difficult times as these. Read the rest of this entry »
From super models (check our last interview with Belgian hottie Cesar Casier) to photography, is only a small step. The I Love Belgium team met young photographer Athos Burez in the Ghent party scene a few years ago and even than there was something special about him. He has a master in fine arts and a master in photography. In his photography, he combines elements from both disciplines to give an imaginary twist to seemingly mundane daily life scenes. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s that time of season again, when you hide your check books and credit cards for your wives (or yourself). Yes, it’s almost time for the Antwerp Contemporary Fashion Days! The what? Well, twice a year established and starting designers sell their stock at not to be missed reductions… after all, we’re in times of crisis! This edition of the Contemporary Fashion Days are even more exiting for the I Love Belgium reader as you can win an extra 10% reduction voucher for LES HOMMES collection sales! How? Read more below! Read the rest of this entry »
Remember Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s when she looks longing at the jewels in the showcase? Well it’s this kind of feeling you get when you visit the store of Pascale Masselis in Antwerp. It’s like a voyage back in time, when everything was still classy and chic. When jewels were worn with distinction and grace. A magnificent shopping experience for true ladies only. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s a bank holiday in Belgium and yes we have been slacking. Blame it on the weather, it’s 25 °C in our country and your I Love Belgium prefers being outside enjoying than inside blogging. One advantage: when we’re outside we discover things we can present to you! We will also be out and about the next weekends since the academy shows of the Belgian fashion academies are coming up. Read the rest of this entry »
Jogging alongside the quays in Antwerp, yes sometimes we do a little exercise, we were confronted with the 19,8 miles (3,2 kilometers) long wall of poetry from Peter Holvoet-Hanssen. Reading it while running, poetry turned out to be the ideal motivation to put in that extra mile. Charmed as we were with Holvoet-Hanssens tribute to Antwerp, we started thinking about other cities and their ways to incorporate poetry into the city landscape. And how poetry can change the urban view… Read the rest of this entry »
When walking down the street in Antwerp, It was not the first time we were perplexed by the beauty of the building in the Volkstraat in Antwerp. Looking all mysterious, we took a closer look and discovered this building is a school, more specifically a Steiner school. Aside from what we think about their methodology, we thought it was an interesting take on an educational environment. Would the ideology of these schools have something to do with the choice for this type of building? Read the rest of this entry »
Do you know the Capara sisters? Their name sounds like an eccentric sister duo from a Tim Burton movie and I’m sure they would like the sound of that. Capara was founded in Antwerp by sisters Vera and Olivera Capara. Read the rest of this entry »
Nostalgia: it’s an emotion that gives you a fuzzy feeling and puts a dreamy smile on your face. Nothing more nostalgic than the vinyl record: the cracking sound, the oldies music… But in this digital era it’s proven difficult to maintain a vinyl record business. But not to worry, the record store owners have found a new approach to make their business flourish. We’re talking about a new Antwerp phenomenon where vinyl record stores are being morphed together with coffee shops, creating the ultimate relaxing environment to dive into nostalgia. Read the rest of this entry »
The new black gold isn’t charcoal anymore but another everyday necessity, you guessed it: coffee. Nowadays coffee shops pop up like daisies. Of course we always liked coffee but today it’s all about the coffee experience. And one company located in Antwerp seems to understand this very well, we present you: Vascobelo. A quality coffee company located in Antwerp that distributes coffee to the finest Barista shops and, through the webshop, into your lovely homes. Read the rest of this entry »
Frederik Vercruysse (1974 – check out a self-portrait he did for Architectural Digest Germany on the I Love Belgium facebook page) is a Belgian photographer based in Antwerp. He combines architecture, interior, still life and portrait photography. Creating images with spaces, furniture, people, plants, clothing and other objects in a fresh, graphical and realistic but sometimes also in a surreal way. Read the rest of this entry »
Belgium is a country of art collectors (in fact Belgians are even avid collectors in general), but it’s also houses some really talented young artists. One of those young art wolves is Antwerp native Andy Wauman whose work we first discovered at the 51 Gallery in Antwerp where he exhibited porcelain objects that looked like the real thing. Read the rest of this entry »
Did you also wonder who did those beautiful flower installations for the Jil Sander FW12 show? They had something ethereal. Flowers in a box, like they would never fade away. It was a beautiful statement for the last collection Raf designed for Jil Sander. Read the rest of this entry »
The I Love Belgium team was very excited when Bruno Pieters announced that his sabbatical was over and when he launched the teaser movie for his new brand. He called it a A pioneering brand with a radical new model for the fashion industry, and tonight’s the night: Honest by is born. Read the rest of this entry »
Since its opening in Antwerp, RA has been a platform for up and coming talent. It’s a brooding place for tomorrow’s avant garde designers and their restaurant is a hangout for the cool kids (if they can’t afford the clothing, they can always drink herbal tea). For 2012, RA cements a permanent position within the artistic and fashion hub, by opening a Paris extension of their original retail concept and exhibition space. Read the rest of this entry »
The I Love Belgium team went to Paris Fashion Week (menswear) last weekend and again we were smitten with Cedric Jacquemyn‘s new Fall Winter 2012 collection Fields of Regeneration, a continuation of the previous collections The Last Glacier and The Waste Land. Read the rest of this entry »
Remember Bruno Pieters? The I Love Belgium team always loved this young Belgian designers’ intricate collections. His YSL charm and technical genius made him instantly an it boy on the international fashion playground. Read the rest of this entry »
Yes we know that we are adored for our famous Belgian fries, but do you realize that we also have some delicious burger places? And no we don’t mean MacDonalds or Quick, but places where your burgers are prepared with a smile and sweet love! Therefore, the I Love Belgium team made a selection of three restaurants where you will get that mouthwatering experience for 2012! Read the rest of this entry »
