Closing a cult brand: what you really learn when it ends
A candid reflection on endings, survival, and starting again.
As undecided as the internet seems about the correct way to write the brand’s name (is it all capitals or not?) designers An Vandevorst and Filip Arickx of A.F.VANDEVORST couldn’t be more decisive regarding the philosophy that underpinned their designs. The sum of its parts, A.F.VANDEVORST is a study of the two designers and their similarities, differences and contradictions.
From their first collection, featuring many of the codes for which the design duo would become known, A.F.VANDEVORST was stocked at STIJL, the iconic multi-label designer store located in the heart of Brussels. When word had it that the X010 boots would have a rerun recently, Sonja Noël, the store’s founder, didn’t have to think twice about carrying them anew as part of the store’s catalogue. It only felt right, a full-circle moment for both parties involved.
Now, with a retrospective exhibition at the Brussels Fashion & Lace Museum celebrating 40-plus years of STIJL (coinciding with the resurgence of the highly sought-after A.F. boots), now is the perfect moment to retrace the steps of the cult brand and what has been and, more so, what has yet to come for Vandevorst and Arickx. One thing is certain: the brand may not be relaunching, but they are certainly not done yet.
Chatting with Vandevorst, Arickx joins our conversation ‘a bit later’, which ends up being at the very end of our two hours. But the hours fly by when Vandevorst is speaking candidly on all things A.F.VANDEVORST and the industry at large.
You met on your very first day at the Royal Academy of Antwerp. How different would each of your trajectories have looked if it hadn’t been for that encounter?
It will forever remain a ‘what if’ question; however, we have wondered about it. To begin with, our encounter was a complete twist of fate, as I’m one year older than Filip. Before pursuing higher education, I had classical schooling in Latin and Greek. Never having had any training in drawing instilled a fear in me to apply. My mom was a visual art teacher, so there was a sense of familiarity with the arts. Growing up, I was surrounded and exposed to art. But on an educational level, I had a more theoretical than practical mind. Therefore, I decided on a preparatory year to fully immerse myself in all disciplines, from drawing and painting to sculpting. And so, by the time I applied for the Academy, Filip had just graduated and applied equally. We literally ran into each other in the corridor. It only took us one glance at each other to know we both were pursuing fashion.