BELGIUM
on the boardwalk • 737 -8468
6915 Orchard Lake Rd. • W. Bloomfield
Come see what you have been missing.
for him to find a backer to
finance production of his
clothes. Still, his clothes are
sold in a few stores in Europe,
mainly in Germany, France and
Belgium. One shop in New
York, Fonda's, carries them. In
addition, three chains in Japan
carry his menswear line.
Van Beirendonck, who has
worked as a magazine stylist,
earns his living as a teacher.
And while he does design a
commercial collection for
Barstons, a Belgian rainwear
company, he refuses to adapt
his own signature collection to
improve salability. Van Beiren-
donck says, "Even if it has to
stay my hobby, I want to do
what I want."
The remaining three
designers in the Six of Antwerp
group are Dirk Van Saene,
Marina Yee, and Dirk Bik-
kembergs. All of them are cur-
rently working with manufac-
turers in Italy and Japan to pro-
duce their collections.
Despite their successes so
far, the future is uncertain for
the young Belgian designers.
All are in serious need of finan-
cial backers if they are to con-
tinue their creative direction. If
Belgian backers are not forth-
coming, they may be forced to
move their operations to other
countries, most likely Italy or
Japan. But at least they, and
the others who followed in the
Golden Spindle competition,
have shown that Belgian
designers can be as creative,
imaginative and daring as any
others.
Denim Alternative
6891 Orchard Lake Road
South of Maple, on The Boardwalk
313 855-5810
28 IN STYLE
steven franklin optics
(/
b
orduroy is taking on new
X..4 importance as new printing
techniques add even more
dimension. Pinwale is popular
for the warmer months because
of its lighter weight but plushier,
wider wales will debut for Fall.
The entire range of pastel col-
ors will take on a softer look
when they are pre-washed.