Tim Van Steenbergen not only criticises the fashion system, he also offers an alternative. “We question the classical model. REantwerp is a concept, but it’s also an investigation into how we can turn existing fabrics into something unique.” The designer may be the main face and the man who deploys his network, but behind the scenes, fashion editor Benoit Bethume and former Weekend Knack editor-in-chief Ruth Goossens are among the driving forces. “And without Gatam’s support, it wouldn’t succeed.” This non-profit organisation accompanies people who are ‘at a significant distance from the labour market’ into employment, people who often left everything behind in their home countries, fleeing violence or poverty. “We see them as newcomers, but we’re too often blind to their competences. Everyone has a talent, you just have to (want to) see it. They can more quickly integrate if we offer them a job that suits their talents and teach them Dutch.”

REantwerp steps away from the classic fashion system out of a love for clothes, people, and the environment.

“Textiles are what connects us in this studio. Together, we create collections from Belgian designers’ leftovers.”

“As people who have had to leave their countries, they can now see a future again because of this. It has often come to light that they were recently working in the textile sector in their native countries or on their way here. Everything was taken away from them, but not their craftsmanship. That’s what we focus on and we provide top-level training for whatever is missing. We first check the level of experience of everyone who applies because we aren’t a sewing school. We listen to their ambitions and focus on those. Textiles are the common language, alongside the Dutch they gradually learn. I strongly believe in integration through employing people in areas in which they’re skilled. Our first team has since moved all the way to a job within the sector. For them, the difference has been made. They would never have found their way alone.”

Tim Van Steenbergen obviously needs no introduction. For years, he had his own fashion label and he still makes costumes for opera, theatre, and dance performances. The detrimental role of fashion on people and the planet increasingly bothered him.

“I didn’t want to be stuck in the linear system of conventional off-the-rack clothing, so I took a different course.”

“Besides being a product, fashion is a tool and a profession that connects people. Fashion really can change lives. I come from a pyramid system with the designer at the top, assistants beneath them, and the creators at the very bottom. Today, I stand among all of them and we learn from each other. I teach creators my design methodology and invite them to share theirs with me. For me, it’s a healthier way of looking at designs. The connection is different. We prepare the mostly young creators to move on to sustainable jobs.”

“How do you define success?” Van Steenbergen wonders aloud. “Through good sales or even better sales? Of course, my collections gave me satisfaction, but all too often, it came down to the figure achieved or not. REantwerp feels different because it is more human. It’s also about redefining norms, a way of thinking.” In the prevailing fashion system, pieces are discounted after six months and beautiful rolls of fabric shift to stock. “We reclaim those, change the context, and give the fabric back its value. It calls for new creativity. We don’t buy metres of fabric of a particular type. When it runs out, it’s done. Our collections are not seasonal, but grow organically,” Van Steenbergen clarifies. “It is not recycling, but upcycling. We look at materials and waste differently. Do we have to use new patterns all the time? If you focus on traditional techniques, that too is a form of upcycling. This gives us the opportunity to set up a profitable collection. Shirts and trousers have a certain methodology; they shouldn’t keep changing.”

“We’re still small enough to deal with fabrics differently and explore how to make something completely new by giving existing fabrics a new context. The whole project revolves around the cross-pollination between creative people and designers that donate materials.” Van Steenbergen is ambitious and does not deny his roots in Belgian avant-garde fashion. “I remain a designer and we look at REantwerp from a professional point of view. We are aiming high. Also because we work with quality materials from Antwerp houses. That is the asset of this city, with so many high-quality brands and stocks. If we can inspire people in our industry, then we’ll succeed in our purpose. Antwerp isn’t in our name by chance. We deliberately set out to create a local connective network. Maybe we can take on a more central role in the fashion scene of the future.”

‘Fashion designer becomes circular entrepreneur’ could have been the title of this article. Indeed, REantwerp connects social responsibility with entrepreneurship.

“We hope to encourage the fashion industry to incorporate recycling into their business and revenue model. We ourselves are researching what sells well and what doesn’t, and we want to build the circular economy into a profitable business model.”

“Selling is definitely part of that story. And fair pricing is part of it. Prices range between €50 and €600. We don’t charge for the fabrics because they’re given to us. This means that wool trousers could be the same price as cotton trousers. The price does depend partly on the effort put into making a piece. We don’t limit ourselves to a ‘segment’ and sell very transparently and without barriers. I see in the future of creation in this.”

High time to hear from some of the makers themselves. Nassar is from Syria and shows a shirt made from two fabrics: one by Dries Van Noten and one by Christian Wijnants. “After ten months, things are going well. Both my Dutch and my work here. Back in my home country, I worked in workshops for household textiles. It really energises me when someone walks out of here with a piece I collaborated on.” Masha had her own workshop in Kiev and her specialisation is embroidery. “I embroider with pearls, sequins, wool, and plastic beads. I’m ambitious and dream of having my own studio. Fashion is my life and I am trying to give it a new twist here.” Ukrainian Anzhelika has been in Belgium for two years and makes white, button-up shirts. “I was already in the industry, but mainly in sales, at the local Farfetch. I dream of becoming a designer and am happy to work in production now. Antwerp is the fashion city where I hope to fulfil my dreams.”

Nassar, Masha and Anzhelika