Faithful to its primary vocation – to support talent from Brussels and Wallonia in their international development – and attentive to the challenges of a sector in search of new benchmarks, WBDM has chosen to support 11 projects again this year, five of which will receive grants ranging from 10 to 35,000 euros while the others will benefit from 4,000 euros for coaching.
Since 2017, when the Fashion Programme was created, WBDM has been supporting brands based in Wallonia or Brussels by giving them access to development tools focused on their needs, the reality of the sector and their international ambitions.
Selected on the basis of an application defended in front of a jury made up of WBDM staff and external experts, this year’s laureates embody the diversity of projects, in terms of style, visual identity and communication strategy.
Imprevu
Founded by Justine God in 2016, this ready-to-wear brand has capitalized on the entrepreneurial dynamism of its founder, but also on her knowledge of a sector driven by new values. Produced in Europe, the label’s collections were initially distributed in points of sale in Belgium and abroad through a wholesale network won over by its policy of small limited series launched every month, guaranteeing an experience anchored in a logic of exclusivity, but also better stock management. Known for its collections centered on current trends and its choice of ecological and sustainable materials, Imprevu is also sold through an e-shop that now includes a “REBORN” section dedicated to the label’s second-hand pieces.
MARIE ADAM-LEENAERDT
Graduating from La Cambre Mode[s] in 2020 and a finalist in the prestigious LVMH competition two years later, this almost-thirtysomething founded her Maison in 2022. Her trademark: a wearable, ultra-studied style that willingly plays the détournement card. In just a few Paris shows during Fashion Week, the designer has established herself as one of the Belgian talents to watch. Right from the start of her career, she made a name for herself among international brands, winning commissions from several luxury e-boutiques. In 2024, she also won the Emerging Talent of the Year award at the Belgian Fashion Awards.
SARAHLEVY
An architect in her first life, a graduate of La Cambre Mode[s], an Andam finalist last year and winner of other awards (Audience Award at the Festival International de Mode, de Photographie et d’Accessoires de Hyères in the “fashion accessories” category just after graduating, and Accessories Designer of the Year at the Belgian Fashion Awards in 2023), Sarah Levy made a name for herself with a collection focused on our relationship to objects and the body’s place in space. Launched in 2020, her eponymous accessories brand has distanced itself slightly from the purely experimental nature of its beginnings. Now distributed in a selection of cutting-edge boutiques, including several in Japan, as well as online, the brand, which works on the basis of materials sourced from deadstock in partnership with workshops in Belgium and France, has immediately proved the international dimension of its collections.
Jean-Paul Lespagnard
Winner of the Festival International de Mode et de Photographie – Hyères in 2008, the Liège-born designer has always gone where he wasn’t expected. His trademark: exploring a host of creative and artistic avenues. A darling of the press, an insatiable creator, sometimes described as the troublemaker of Belgian fashion, this great traveler has not confined himself to the classic ready-to-wear sector. He has collaborated extensively with luxury brands in the automotive and hotel sectors, among others. In 2023, he dressed an immersive suite at The Hotel in Brussels. Last year, he collaborated with the prestigious Saut Hermès, creating the costumes for the tableaux offered alongside the horse race.
Façon Jacmin
Alexandra Jacmin graduated from La Cambre Mode[s]. She then trained with Jean-Paul Gaultier and at the Maison Martin Margiela school. Ségolène, her twin sister, is an entrepreneur. In 2017, they launched Façon Jacmin, a brand focused almost entirely on denim that, from the outset, has clearly positioned itself in a sharp, uncompromising approach to clothing. 7 years after their debut, the Jacmin sisters continue to build their brand identity. The label, which not only dresses women but also some men, has taken up the challenge of upcycling by surrounding itself with partners capable of working with sustainable materials in B2B production.
Aurore Havenne
Founded in 2014, this designer’s jewelry brand is the fruit of a reconversion. For almost 10 years, Aurore Havenne has been creating gold and silver jewelry with an ethical approach, in line with her deepest aspirations. Holder of the Fairmined label, the designer trained in Brussels, but also in London and Paris, works with traceable gold and laboratory-created cultured diamonds. Her sober, contemporary pieces with sculptural shapes for women, but also for men, are complemented by a Mariage line conceived in the same spirit of purity.
11PM Studio
Founded in 2024 by Marie Charlotte Vermeulen and Pieterjan Van Biesen, 11PM Studio is a contemporary, mixed and hybrid approach to clothing. Halfway between tailoring and streetstyle, the Brussels-based duo’s collection is made up of basic yet reinterpreted pieces. Produced in Europe, the label’s white shirts, bombers and knit sweaters follow the same logic of timelessness as the Natan brand for which they both work on the sidelines of this project.
Les Blondinettes
Founded in 2016 in Spa, women’s accessories brand Les Blondinettes has gradually expanded while sharpening its international strategy. Articulated around 3 pillars: scarves, the first product launched on the market, a line of handcrafted semi-precious stone jewelry and finally ready-to-wear collections marketed since 2020. Following an initial participation in the WHO’S NEXT PARIS trade show in January 2022, the brand has surrounded itself with a network of agents for France, Germany and Switzerland. Since 2023, Blondinettes has been distributed in France and Germany.
Maxime Mathieu
If fashion and architecture are genres that often flirt with each other, in the case of jewelry designer Maxime Mathieu, the connection is self-evident. Trained in architecture at Saint-Luc, then in fashion design at La Cambre, the Brussels-based designer first cut his teeth as a film costume designer. Now specializing in non-garnished stainless steel jewelry handcrafted in Belgium, he founded his label in 2022. 3 years later, his neo-punk brand is distributed in ready-to-wear boutiques (such as WAB Concept Store in Paris), seduced by the contemporaneity and accessibility of his project. From April 13 to October 13, 2025, the label’s jewelry will also be displayed and sold in the Belgian pavilion at the World Expo scheduled to take place in Osaka, Japan.
Olivia.P
Founded by Belgian Olivia Prigneaux, an accessories designer with 20 years’ experience in the fashion world, this young leather goods brand has found in the know-how of Moroccan craftsmanship a playground conducive to the expression of its creativity, but also to the materialization of values it holds dear, including the fair remuneration of its partner manufacturers. The collection of customizable, modular bags and accessories is divided into 2 lines: a classic line featuring sustainable, environmentally-friendly materials, and a premium line centered on unique, jewel-like pieces.
Candice De Rijcke Jewelry
Trained as an interior designer and based in Lessines (Hainaut province), Candice De Rijcke has always had a passion for design, beautiful objects and noble materials. Enthralled by craftsmanship, she turned to jewellery-making shortly after her studies. After several years of experimentation, she created her eponymous brand in June 2016. Handcrafted in her atelier, the pieces in gold, silver, vermeil and enhanced with semi-precious or laboratory stones (for sustainability), the designer’s pieces boast contemporary lines sold online or at the heart of her studio, by appointment.