Collectif d'Anvers Maatwerk Antwerpen - Fourmentstraat 35

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 one-offs 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-à-porter 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.