— LES MAINS CONSACRÉES —
"L a F ôr e t "
Natalie’s vision for the ‘La Forêt’ collection unfolded when she zoomed in on Julian Schnabel’s work. To her eye, savage landscapes came to life in the broken crockery Schnabel had used in his paintings. Sharing this inspiration with the Belgian painter Ilse Vanderbeken led to the realization of canvases reflecting a mysterious and brooding atmosphere that seeps through in every vein of the collection. Natalie transfigured the mystique of Ilse’s paintings to the Collectif d’ Anvers footwear through cutting out parts of the paintings, masterfully fusing the brushstrokes with the leather and shape of the footwear, creating a unique appeal for each individual piece. The figurehead of the ‘La Forêt’ collection is a lavishly embroidered kimono based on a painting by Ilse Vanderbeken. This artistic intervention is a quirky take on camouflage offering the wearer the opportunity to merge with the garment and simultaneously manifest oneself with the beauty and abundance of the same garment.
Natalie Van Lijsebettens’ career took off when she started sculpting her idiosyncratic style of footwear for the feet of fashion-savvy individuals, artists and showbiz celebrities. Over the years, her studio Collectif d’ Anvers’ has grown into the place to go for exceptional custom-made footwear and items Natalie whimsically refers to as fashion artefacts: Hand-made accessories and mementos that gracefully bond with their wearer, delivering lasting emotional connections. The success and exposure of these extraordinary oneoffs made Natalie decide to create limited editions of footwear and accessories in collaboration with small-scale artisanal producers. FW18/19 and SS19 saw the first collections produced in Italy. These collections also
witnessed the birth of Collectif d’ Anvers’ signature pentagonal heel. Natalie’s implicit message telling you that everything is possible when you elevate yourself and reach for the stars. True to her creative and artisanal roots, these prêt-àporter shoes and accessories showed a bewildering array of combinations pairing vegetable tanned leather with uniquely designed fabrics. Each of the fabrics contained fusions of cotton, linen, rubber, polyamide and silk, which added a surprising level of durability to the mix. Taking the expression of her fashion artefacts to the next level, Natalie now introduces artistic interventions that fully convey a collection’s main theme. True to the
name Collectif d’ Anvers’, these interventions are collaborations between Natalie, artists and specialized local producers. The first artistic intervention saw the light for the FW18/19 BYE GOOD X GOOD BYE collection and featured a unisex Merino Wool coat adorned with a stunning embroidered fish skeleton. For the future, Natalie has decided to only march to the impetuous beat of her own drum. This action has liberated Collectif d’Anvers from the seasonal rhythm and other restrictive rules imposed by the fashion industry. In Natalie’s words the only way to stay pure, grow creatively and constantly surprise.
ELISE CALUWAERTS
TAMINO AMIR
Rites of autumn in L a FĂ´ret. Dark rituals to manufac ture the mos t illus trious fashion ar tefacts. Te a r s a r e s h e d . L i g h t n in g w a s w e l d e d o n t o c a nv a s . A u n i q u e c a nv a s m a ke s e v e r y s h o e a f u t u r e r e l i c . W i t h in the depths of the woods, sacred hands are at work.
Collectif d’Anvers LA FÔRET Designed in Antwerp by Natalie Van Lijsebettens
Antwerp Showroom Fourmentstraat 35 - 2018 Antwerp (BE) Natalie Van Lijsebettens natalie@collectifdanvers.be +32477800589
WWW.COLLECTIFDANVERS.BE insta @collectifdanvers CENTERFOLD ARTISTS : TAMINO AMIR & ELISE CALUWAERTS Styling & design by Natalie Van Lijsebettens Modelling by Marie Hélène Beernaert, Lore Borremans, Maarten Thomas Ketels Additional clothing by Olsthoorn*Vanderwilt / olsthoornvanderwilt.com Graphics & Photography by Jan Mast Compositing by Anouk Reymen @ Studio Jan Mast MUA: Julie Campaert