Wednesday 21 December 2011

HALELUJA

 The first shop I noticed when I arrived on the streets of Brussels was Stijl. I had heard about this place and it certainly didn't disappoint, stocking all favourite designers like Raf, Haider, and Ann; and not their most commercial garments, that have lost their excitement from the runway, like we seem to do here in London. It's exciting flipping through the racks and makes you totally fall in love with design.
In London we could learn a thing or two from Sonja Noël; the razor sharp buyer with an eye for creative talent, that opened Brussels first fashion mecca, Stijl, 20 years ago. Last year Sonja opened a new set of doors, Haleluja. It's impeccably designed space features hand picked designers from all over the world, creating sustainable garments, from ethically sourced cottons and silks to recycling. 
 Sonja told me that as an entrepreneur you have to be bold and take risks, starting a new business takes years and years to build up and she's ready for a new challenge. Halaluja is doing something truly revolutionary to fashion: proving that ethically sourced eco-friendly pieces are also desirable, contemporary and high fashion. After all, "sustainable clothes have to be desirable products, otherwise there's no point in selling them."
You can visit Haleluja on the Nieuwe Graanmarkt.

6 comments:

  1. my favorite store is right next to this one! Icon! fabulous service and insane collection! what i love about this area is the perfect service, people are so so friendly! love it

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  2. I think what she said about 'starting a business takes years and years' and 'being ready for a challenge' are really important messages for people our age right now.

    We are constantly exposed to endless 'instant success' stories and the newspapers are filled with stories of brilliant young things in their late teens and early twenties, and I think it's easy to imagine that this is the norm rather than the exception.

    i was stressing myself out recently because I felt like I was so far away from my goal, then read an interview with Carine Roitfeld and had to remind myself that I'm 21 and have decades yet to learn, and when did I lose all my perspective?!

    Years of hard work are what it takes for most!

    Ps. i think you are doing brilliantly, young thing!

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  3. Great pics! Everyone looks soooo stylish!
    Love the woman's glasses!

    www.standon12cm.com

    xoxoxox

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  4. beautiful photos!^^

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  5. Looks like an interesting store! I'll have to remember to check it out next time I'm in Brussels

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