We discovered VII Sept-Bruxelles through the Nationa(a)l Store, a pop-up project by two Belgian-lovers last year in December. A quirky pineapple-shape handbag caught our eye. What was it? Who was this? It was Sept Bruxelles, the accessory label created by Cécile De Jaegher. Read the rest of this entry »
1
May
2013
May
2013
VII Sept-Bruxelles
15
Apr
2013
Apr
2013
Beastly Jewelry
Every I Love Belgium reader knows we like statement jewelry (I’m sure your remember our posts about IL by Isabelle Lenfant, Belgian statement necklaces and Mouton Collet) and we just discovered another gem. Read the rest of this entry »
11
Apr
2013
Apr
2013
De Gris by Léa Peckre
Attentive followers of I Love Belgium will recognize Léa Peckre’s name immediately. She was part of our Fashion Young Bloods article. And Léa is a busy bee. Not only did she start her own collection, but now she also became the artistic director of De Gris, a French luxury leatherwear house. Read the rest of this entry »
22
Feb
2013
Feb
2013
Transformation Time
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 »
3
Feb
2013
Feb
2013
Julien Renault’s Inventory
Belgian based French designer Julien Renault is an emotional designer. In a world where’s there’s already too much design made just for the sake of it, he’s part of the new generation redefining both the material and technique of everyday products and furniture. After graduating at the ESAD Design & Art School in Reims and ECAL in Lausanne he moved to Brussels to assist Belgian designer Sylvain Willenz while working simultaneously worked for an antique design dealer. Read the rest of this entry »
22
Jan
2013
Jan
2013
The Need For Belgian Knitwear
Since Winter has decided to come back, the I Love Belgium team was in need for some knitwear. Cashmere, lamb wool, mohair,…keep that cold coming! You can still score some great Belgian designer sales online and we made you a nice selection. Keep yourself warm! Read the rest of this entry »
16
Oct
2012
Oct
2012
Kim Mee Hye
I Love Belgium is all about discovery and when we discovered Kim Mee Hye‘s jewelry line we were immediately mesmerized. So Belgian, so pure, all about understated luxury. Designer Kimy Gringoire Lejeune is a self-taught jewelry designer. Her visual language is hard and soft at the same time, influenced by youth culture (her photography reminds us of Larry Clark’s work) but most of all very poetic and free-spirited. Read the rest of this entry »
3
Oct
2012
Oct
2012
Concrete Design
Today the I Love Belgium team puts a focus on the design work of newly found collective The Ministry of Mass. David Braeckman and Sander Michiels aim to provide comments, criticism and reflection on our current practices as a producing and consuming culture. This translates into a limited series of objects, produced independent and local or objects that reflect on the diminishing relation between Man and Nature. Read the rest of this entry »
25
Sep
2012
Sep
2012
Dreamcatcher by Linda Topic
The I Love Belgium team has big love for Brussels based designer Linda Topic. The one-off a kind bed she designed is still one of our best read articles and we wouldn’t mind having her modular floor covering (made with leftovers from wooden floors and carpets) in our living room. Het latest design is a fabric called Dreamcatcher. Read the rest of this entry »
19
Sep
2012
Sep
2012
Embassy Architecture
What does it take to represent your country abroad in the best way possible? The new Belgian Embassy building in Athens by Greek-Austrian architecture office Buerger Katsota serves as a perfect example! The façade of a prestigious late 1960’s apartment building was transformed into a perfect ‘Storefront’ for Belgium in the centre of Athens. Read the rest of this entry »
18
Aug
2012
Aug
2012
JustSo Belgian
The best concepts are based on the simplest principles. A great example would be the work of the creative Jasbir Sandhu. Together with Axia Environment, she developed a collection of wearable art depicting a country’s identity. Read the rest of this entry »
20
Jul
2012
Jul
2012
I Love Belgium interviews Pierre-Antoine Vettorello
We first noticed Pierre-Antoine Vettorello about three years ago with his graduate collection at the Antwerp Academy. This summer we rediscovered his talent at Fashionclash, a young designers platform. His capacity to design outstanding shapes in combination with unique textile design makes Pierre-Antoine distinctive in the giant designer pool. Read the rest of this entry »
2
May
2012
May
2012
Revealing past and present
Images that cling to you like sticky gum: that seems to be the best way to describe work of Karin Hanssen. This artist ‘borrows’ images from the past and recreates them on her canvas. To do that she uses public photographs from after WOII till the late 70s, an era of wealth and plentitude but also of lingering violence concerning the cold war and Vietnam. Read the rest of this entry »
29
Apr
2012
Apr
2012
Niels Peeraer – The lotus and the snake, the curse of the white fox
You’re born with talent, without any doubt. One day your talent will come out whether you’re 6 or 60. Belgian designer Niels Peeraer’s talent showed really quickly. At 18 he went to the Fashion Department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, where he obtained his Master degree in June 2011. Read the rest of this entry »
25
Apr
2012
Apr
2012
Alain Biltereyst: Jack of all trades
I Love Belgium noticed Alain Biltereyst: a graphic designer whose work is very accessible but yet interesting. Fact is that the man is very diversified: one of his styles is very linear and refined, other times he works with color blocks and flat spaces. Read the rest of this entry »
18
Apr
2012
Apr
2012
Salone Del Mobile 2012 – ‘Spel’ by Michaël Verheyden
For the third time the Brioni Palazzo in Milan turns into the epicentre of creativity during the Salone del Mobile. You won’t see any bespoke suits there during Milan design week but specially commissioned objects, installations, furniture, fashion, food and more by some of the world’s most respected designers, artists, craftsmen, brands and manufacturers. Yes, it’s the Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition. Read the rest of this entry »
17
Apr
2012
Apr
2012
MTWalls
We have a thing for upcoming talent here at I Love Belgium. That’s why we applaud every platform or project with the same line of thought. MTWalls is one those platforms that was recently brought to our attention. Read the rest of this entry »
7
Apr
2012
Apr
2012
Salone Del Mobile 2012 – Maarten De Ceulaer Mutation Series
The renown design fair Salone Del Mobile is coming up. From the 17th of April till the 22nd of April Milan will be become the Mecca of international design. Sometimes the off-events are even more interesting than the fair itself. This year Belgian designer Maarten De Ceulaer is presenting his Mutation Series. Read the rest of this entry »
31
Mar
2012
Mar
2012
Weekend Find – Polyamory 3D printed rings
3D printing has come a long way. The time where it was solely used by industrial manufacturers or high brow architect offices is behind us. It’s not about ‘rapid prototyping’ anymore, it has become a very innovative mass-scale production method that will certainly evolve to a 3D printing home system in the future. With the technology also the printed items have evolved. Where 3D printing had a a more industrial and medical application, the products coming out of the machines today have quite a unique off-the-shelf feeling. From lamps to furniture to…jewellery. Read the rest of this entry »
24
Mar
2012
Mar
2012
Summer Sandals
It’s 20 °C (68 °F) in Belgium, so people are getting in an early summer mood. BBQ’s are planned, terraces are packed and ice cream parlors make fortunes. And of course people dress alike. Summer dresses, shorts and…summer sandals.
Sandals don’t always have a stylish connotation but we’re sure you’ll want to strut around town in these beauties by Ferragamo. Ferragamo, that’s Italian! Hear Hear, we know, but who’s behind the shoe collection? Yes, a young Belgian designer called Joeri Van Yper. Read the rest of this entry »
