Introducing Belgium
In this programme, students are invited to explore fashion through history, architecture, design and politics. The programme begins in Brussels, where the group will visit some of the world’s most extraordinary ateliers before travelling on to Gent to learn about the history of the textile industry. Next stop is Bruges, home to the famous lace manufacturing. The programme ends with Antwerp, famous for the the talent and perseverance of fashion designers such as the legendary Antwerp Six, who from the 80s onwards managed to carve out a niche for themselves in the fashion world. Through a few days in Belgium, students will understand the impact of fashion and design on culture and identity.
Example Professional Visits
FASHION & LACE MUSEUM
The Fashion & Lace Museum is a textile and fashion museum in Brussels. Founded in 1977, the museum collections focus on lace, which is a traditional craft in Belgium that has garnered international renown.
The Lace Room tells visitors about the history and manufacture of Brussels lace, a unique textile which has now disappeared. The lace is showcased through rare pieces from the museum's collections .
CARINE GILSON ATELIER
A Belgian lingerie and nightwear designer, known for transforming Calais lace and silk from Lyon into 'haute lingerie'. The craftsmanship of the atelier has been transforming lace and silk into exquisite and luxurious lingerie, robes, and nightgowns for nearly 30 years.
The group will have a tour of the atelier, where highly skilled artisans make every unique, incomparable piece entirely by hand.
DELVAUX ATELIER
Founded in 1829, a year before Belgium was declared an independent nation, Delvaux was the first fine leather luxury goods house in the world. With the rise of train travel, trunk maker Charles Delvaux saw an opportunity: Women needed smaller carrying bags to keep with them while in transit — and thus the original handbag was born. The house was the very first to file patents for handbags, with the earliest recorded in 1908.
The group will enjoy a tour of the headquarters and atelier in Brussels.
Example Cultural Experiences
RUBEN HOUSE MUSEUM
The Rubens House is the rebuilt and refurbished house of the Flemish Baroque painter, draftsman and diplomat Peter Paul Rubens. Rubens created many of his most famous paintings in this house, in a studio that he designed himself and is felt to be his apotheosis. The museum displays work by Rubens himself, but also from peers as Anthony Van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens.
CHOCOLATE NATION
Chocolate Nation in Brussels is no ordinary museum… It's a museum of experiences, where you learn the story of chocolate through hands-on workshops and tastings - of no less than 10 different flavours of chocolate! It is a place packed with experiences and tales of chocolate brands and chocolatiers, that will give the group a unique insight into Belgian chocolate traditions and innovations.