I admit: I’ve always had a knack for the work of Christian Wijnants. Years ago, I flew to Florence with the designer, to visit Pitti Filati, the trade fair for lovers of knitwear. I wanted to write a story on how fashion designers start their new collection. In the case of Christian, it’s the thread that starts it all. He chooses from thousands of threads, to work his way through to a collection that is totally his. Of course, today, Christian’s line is more than knitwear, but knitted pieces still make up for a nice part of the collection. Since hooking up with CLCC, Christian seems to be in a flow of good fortune. A first flagshipstore opened recently, in the heart of Antwerp. A concept by Stockholm-based architect Andreas Bozarth Fornell, who is known for his projects at Acne Studios.
Copyright Boy Kortekaas
Coming into the store, it’s the calm that rules, and in a way astonishes in fashionland. The first few steps on pure concrete, a plant on the right, a first silhouette on the left. In the middle of the store sits the cashier’s desk, but one should wander further down, towards the end of the store, where the architect played with size and volume, creating two separate pieces. The back wall became a large window, behind it a small yet luscious garden. This place breathes Wijnants: in its clean cut lines, in its modernism, in its ‘never shout’ attitude. Fornell did a great job.
Copyright Boy Kortekaas
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Copyright Bart Kiggen
Copyright Dirk Alexander
