Fashion, design and shops to never leave
As a fashion student in London in the early 2000s, she knew that Antwerp was an incubator of ideas . Until the 1980s, the rules of the game in terms of design in the port city were governed by Mary Prijot , who headed the new fashion department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the 1960s. Her style was strict and uniform . Her students studied classical wardrobe and made hems below the knee. Then something curious happened: a group of students, known as the Antwerp Six They rebelled and rewrote the rules. They designed sketches with their own unique style from their particular approach. The group including Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, and Walter Van Beirendonck , altered the fabric of Antwerp forever.
Far from meir , the city's iconic shopping street, which abruptly connects the train station and the cathedral, creatives continue to shape the city. When Van Noten moved his workshop to 't Eilandje , a desolate area adjoining the red light district near the docks, there was nothing but sex shops. And while some claimed that the transformation of the neighborhood had been promising for several years, change is indeed happening now. modern art galleries , multidisciplinary centers (**Het Bos** has just opened and is already giving people something to talk about), wine bars and a handful of restaurants They operate in old warehouses.
monochrome city building
The profile has been transformed with the red stone of the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS), dedicated to all of Antwerp, and the funnel-shaped Red Star Line Museum. To the north, the building that resembles a diamond, designed by Zaha Hadid for the Port Authority, it opens this year. Nearby, on the banks of the Scheldt River, a giant curvy concrete caterpillar (a disused hangar for shipping containers) it is the stage for fashion shows of the academy graduates every June . Last year, Madeleine Cousne presented his collection centers , which was awarded the MoMu Award, the prize of the Mode Museum, for her creative vision and technical ability. Inspired by the interlocking tiles of Antwerp's railway arches, the collection incorporates geometric patterns in the shape of Japanese boxes and a wide range of colorful fabrics.
The hoarder in me covets her fellow student's exquisite leather work Raffaela Graspointner (laser-cut rainbow silhouettes, wavy edges, sequins, and color tones similar to David Hockney paintings) . It is in this hangar where the concepts are born, where the races start. In summer, it has become an urban beach club for hundreds of young people who are 'untied' by the river bank . Which is very appropriate.
Urban infrastructure helps ideas evolve easily: most places in the surrounding area can be reached on foot or by bike . London, Paris and Amsterdam are just over an hour away. But Antwerp is a cheap city and offers more opportunities for those who want to innovate.
In the eastern area of 2060, between Turkish grocers and African hairdressers, is the Atelier Solarshop, a concept store owned by Pietro Celestina and the fashion designer and academic graduate, Jan-Jan Van Essche . The space began as a design studio before the pair began experimenting with various collaborations: art shows, vintage furniture pop-up shops, and a Sunday breakfast club alongside food collective Otark Productions. Now he incorporates all of these things, as well as pieces from his own Van Essche menswear label. “There are a lot of new initiatives happening outside of the mainstream and center. Like the Noord Feesjes nightclub, which hosts alternative parties in nearby spaces, in a Polish disco or in a Moroccan club Celestine says. "You get an interesting mix of regulars and young people discovering new things."
Jane
THE FOOD SCENE
But he is not the only one who takes advantage of his opportunity. the shaker Alexander Jones and chef Michael Timmermans are behind the Jones, a pop-up bar specializing in gins. these twentysomethings mix top-notch tonics and garnishes of ginger, pepper, sea fennel and edible flowers along with very creative tapas: foie gras with beetroot, elderberry and coffee; crab salad with citrus jelly and sorrel; panna cotta with lavender and marinated fennel. The team is already looking for a new location for its next concept bar. Then there's Normo, a dilapidated little steakhouse and cafe with a handful of tables and a crew of brewing . Many students meet at 11 a.m. in search of their cold coffee, and share a table with perplexed masons on one of their breaks.
In addition, a new generation of chefs has arrived on the gastronomic scene. in Berchem , the Jewish quarter, Jane It's hot, with a waiting list of several months. The old military chapel was redesigned with a punk touch by the studio of Piet Boon : a chandelier PSLAB that looks like an upside-down sparkler, a giant neon Day of the Dead skull, and glass windows tattooed with rams' heads, knocked out teeth, roses, and demons. The devil is in the details too , with surprising elements to discover in each bite. The dishes are parterres for Thai salmon tartare with deconstructed zucchini flower daffodils, mushroom stamen and basil leaves or a colorful paella of squid, clams, piquillo pepper and artichoke vinaigrette. The menu, at a leisurely pace , consists of a dozen plates arranged for hours by waiters in G-Star aprons, who shake your hand and serve champagne over a mousse of peaches, strawberries and granita as an appetizer.
If this is the church of exceptional culinary art, then I am here to worship the chefs **Nick Bril and Sergio Herman**, who closed their three-Michelin-starred restaurant, the Oud Sluis in Holland to open The Jane last year. . It was no surprise when it received its own star after months of opening.
normo
NIGHT AND FASHION
Unlike other fashionable cities, people don't dress up to go out . The Antwerp people boast a sober and impeccable style, which reflects more security than eccentricity. at the bar Bato Batu , on the outskirts, there is no point in trying to stand out or, rather, fit in with the crowd. “Being in Antwerp is like being in the home of a much-loved member of the family, where you can only be yourself ”, says stylist Pholoso. "There is no pressure to be someone." The blog of him Stylebook of him supports emerging and established Belgian designers.
designers like Bruno Peters , the creative director of Dior Raf Simons, Peter Pilotto, Wijnants, Been by D'Heygere and Wanda Nylon . Taking one of his advice, I buy some cotton pants. Ann Demeulemeester for €100 at Labels Inc, a sort of high-end messy shop that stocks samples directly from designers. Among the treasures there are lots of A. F. Vandevorst, Raf Simons, and Haider Ackermann. ; all monochromatic cut bags.
Concept stores really came to Antwerp in 2007, when, by coincidence, they opened five within a few months of each other . My favourite, **Graanmarkt 13**, has a fashion and lifestyle store, a restaurant and an art gallery with an apartment to rent at the top. Designed in the minimalist style of Belgian architect Vincent van Duysen, each floor of the house has cool concrete surfaces, with blank walls and cleverly concealed spaces within spaces. It is impossible to see Graanmarkt 13 as anything more than a single entity. The apartment guests eat from the same ceramic plates as the restaurant diners. You can buy the fabulous chair by Michaël Verheyden in the master bedroom. A rotation of paintings by little-known artists hang in the gallery and on the walls of the store.
Graanmarkt 13
ART AND ARCHITECTURE
Architecture and art in Antwerp are as intertwined now as they were when Flanders produced the Flemish masters of the 15th century. “Antwerp is built from the creativity of thinkers and artisans, along the same channels and paths of another age of greatness”, says the local fashion journalist Kristopher Arden-Houser.
Today's artists may not be as well known as Rubens, but the scene is buzzing . Axel Vervoordt's gallery in the Oude Koornmarkt is a good starting point for modern core players. Belgium's most influential collector has been the name the art world needs to know since the 1960s. He and his children are currently developing kanaal , an ambitious project to form a new district along the Albert Canal, on the outskirts of the city. Old warehouses and a chapel located in the old distillery will be transformed, and new blocks of houses will be created.
In the heart of it will be located the Vervoordt Foundation Museum , which will house a huge collection of works. For contemporary art, the Laere Gallery Tim Van has a lively mix of names, including post-feminist painter Kati Heck and visual artist Nicolas Provost. The Ingrid Deuss gallery shows photographers such as Isabel Miquel Arques, whose book Portret met garnaalkroket celebrate the scene with portraits by Belgian artists.
Bathroom of The Apartment at The Jane
Most nights, the basement restaurant at Graanmarkt 13 buzzes with atmosphere with the talk of artists, actors and designers . "People don't care that Dries Van Noten might be eating at the next table," says owner Ilse Cornelissens. "It's always nice to see someone famous, but it's not something that's that important."
The people of Antwerp are modest by nature. This is not a city of skyscrapers that is always on the move. This is a quiet place. Here there is room to grow and develop, two things that are very necessary to foster creativity.
The Recollection
* This report is published in the October 88 issue of the Condé Nast Traveler magazine and is available in its digital version to enjoy on your preferred device.
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