I met Anne Chapelle, the Antwerp-based investor behind Ann Demeulemeester and Haider Ackerman, while studying Luxury Management at l’IFM.

My coursework required analyzing the visual merchandising strategy of a fashion brand. Inspired by Demeulemeester’s universe, I reached out to Chapelle, who generously opened the doors of BVBA 32, her independent underground fashion group, initiating a lasting mentorship. Over the years, Anne followed my journey, inviting me to her shows and showrooms, and guiding me as I gained experience.

I knocked at her door seven years later when I felt ready for a creative challenge. She generously offered me the opportunity to collaborate on …a moment in…, an experimental fashion incubator she had spiritually founded two seasons earlier.

The womenswear capsule collection, inspired by the magic realism of Dutch painter Carel Willink, focused on jerseys. Previous iterations included gender-neutral knitwear, menswear, and leather accessories, all manufactured in Italy and distributed in selected stores worldwide. Each capsule emerged from a collaborative process involving seasonal guest designers and nine BVBA 32 members who also worked on Ann's and Haider's collections.

Chapelle emphasized that the essence of …a moment in… was rooted in the collective— “No egos, no designer names, just moments”.

Inspired by this ethos, I proposed to challenge the traditional hierarchy of fashion creation, embodying the visual storytelling language of ...a moment in... with a disruptive photographic series. My proposal read:

“A stylish chick hatched in Antwerp dreams of solving the ancient fashion riddle: which comes first, the brand or the designer? …a moment in… reverses the backstage mirror,  shifting the spotlight from a singular visionary to the collective creativity of a multidisciplinary whole.”

Chapelle approved, giving me access to the third floor of the historic Leopold de Waelplaats building, Ann Demeulemeester's original creative studio, now repurposed for …a moment in…

We transformed the space into a photo studio, and experimented with draping and styling to create avant-garde silhouettes. While searching for the perfect location, I discovered Ann's forgotten attic and proceeded to collaborate with BVBA 32's solid team and a photographer, lighting specialist, makeup artist, hairstylist, and nine models to bring the concept to life. The final images were compiled into a luxury catalog for distributors and online promotion.

Weeks later, I returned to Antwerp. Chapelle had set up a dedicated space for me in Demeulemeester’s former studio, where I could work and live, granting me full creative freedom for the next edition of …a moment in…

For my carte blanche for …a moment in…, I sought to redefine authorship in fashion, ensuring continuity by collaborating with the designers previously associated with the experimental brand.

Guiding the creative process, I cultivated cohesive aesthetics while expanding into woven fabrics and gender-neutral accessories, further evolving the label’s language.  

With Anne Chapelle overseeing the project, I worked in unision with a dedicated team, including a production coordinator, commercial manager, and design assistant. Pattern making was entrusted to master artisans in Antwerp and Paris, production was outsourced to factories in Belgium, Italiy and Portugal, while BVBA 32’s core team monitored progress weekly, reinforcing a collective design approach.

To demystify the role of the “fashion creator,” I dove into the Heartbeat of Creation and baptized the collection Muscle of Enlightenment. The heart inspired both concept and structure, guiding a design language of expansion and contraction and molding experiments that captured its rhythm.  

Bio hues, organic tones, and a flesh palette dominated the collection, while I abstracted the heart’s anatomy into all-over prints, mapped the circulatory system with hand embroidery and lacework, and transformed electrocardiogram waves into irregular ribbed knitting gauges and inside-out raw-cut asymmetrical leather smoking.

Seeking harmony between Flou and Tailleur, I sculpted silk chiffon and crêpe georgette to flow naturally over the body, structured felt wool and suede with internal construction for precision tailoring, and experimented with oversized cashmere knits to redefine the body's boundaries.

Fluid tops and dresses billowed with oversized volumes and then cinched into draped contours. Exaggerated lengths in pants, bodices, and sleeves took shape through irregular darts, tucks, and smocking, while slashed bias godets in skirts and dresses introduced unpredictable, arrhythmic silhouettes.

For handbags, I blended Pre-Colombian bead weaving with Italian leatherwork. Hand-carved, naturally dyed wooden beads were woven using ancestral techniques, while vegetable-tanned leather was saddle-stitched, uniting South American tradition with European craftsmanship. 

Once the collection was delivered, Anne, the team, and I orchestrated long collective styling sessions, distilling the work into a focused presentation during fashion week at …a moment in…’s showroom in Paris on Rue Saintonge.

When asked how I envisioned presenting the collection to press and buyers, I remained faithful to …a moment in…’s ethos. My proposal read:

“Inspired by the Book of Genesis, …a moment in… redefines fashion creation as a collective act. Challenging the myth of the fashion creator, nine BVBA 32 members united to craft an ephemeral, ego-free collection.  

Draped over nine wax sculptures burning like candles during a seven-hour performance, the collection vanished in real time before the audience, dismantling the hierarchies of authorship in contemporary fashion design.

In this fleeing transformation, …a moment in… existed not as the static vision of a single eye but as a collective ritual of creation and erasure, where a Brand is not merely collectively designed by continuously unmade.”

Chapelle approved the concept, and I invited Oliver Goulet, one of the members of my artist collective, to materialize the vision.  

As guests arrived, their emotional reactions became part of the performance, marking the culmination of my residency—a defining moment in my creative evolution.

Working in the palpable aura of Ann Demeulemeester’s creative legacy was an unparalleled honor, leaving an indelible imprint on my artistic journey.

One of my most vivid memories is waking up on winter mornings to find Antwerp’s enigmatic fog slowly swallowing the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, rendering it invisible from the Leopold de Waelplaats studio. Instinctively, I opened the windows, inviting the midst—laden with Demeulemeester’s energy and the echoes of the masters within the museum—to seep into my process.