Retail

Founded by Sonja Noël, Stijl has been instrumental in providing a platform for emerging and groundbreaking designers since it opened in 1984. Together with the Antwerp Six, Noël cleverly marketed Belgium as a cult fashion destination and the Rue Antoine Dansaert as its epicentre of high-end garms. On sale are stalwart brands such as Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester, plus forward-thinking labels including Sofie d’Hoore and Jan-Jan Van Essche.

Founders and cousins Antoine and Mathieu Rentiers come from a long line of enthusiasts of homeware and furniture. “Our great-grandparents were cabinet-makers, our grandparents were furniture wholesalers and our parents were merchants,” says Mathieu. “We named Lulu after our grandmother.” The duo found their dream location in a former garage and have retained its raw interior, adding a café for good measure. This huge space is filled with an almost overwhelming array of goods, from Scandinavian-style sideboards and dining sets to ceramics from Belgian design classic Serax.

After 10 years working in the furniture industry as a freelance designer for international powerhouses Ligne Roset, Swedese, Stattmann Furniture and Idée, Marina Bautier returned to her hometown and launched her brand in 2013. She offers a homely collection of oak beds, tables and desks – pieces that radiate simplicity and durability. There’s also the in-house line of homeware, linen and ceramics designed to complement the furniture. Bautier enjoys keeping things as local as possible: “My furniture is made a three-hour drive away in a family-owned carpentry workshop.”

Belgium’s historic print heartland may be Antwerp but Le Typographe is pressing ahead with a new take on the old trade. Behind the stationery-maker’s shopfront in a narrow townhouse in Châtelain, its workshop produces tens of thousands of notebooks and cards a year using six heavy Heidelberg presses. With its paper goods already stocked in some 700 shops around the world, Le Typographe has become an international affair. French founder Cédric Chauvelot learned his typographic skills at L’Institut Supérieur des Beaux Arts in Besançon.

The collection of womenswear on offer at Icon features chic items by both established and emerging designers. The racks bear everything from timeless pieces by London label Rejina Pyo to shoes from By Far and printed silks by Warsaw’s Magda Butrym.