Cools revealed that Fashion Talks will now be held annually. “We want to continue challenging and inspiring you while making fashion more vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive.” Below are seven of this edition’s main talking points. 

Hanan Bešović, who operates on social media under the handle @ideservecouture, discussed his trajectory and his views on the tense relationship between social media and print with Fashion Talks guest curators Elodie Ouedraogo and Elspeth Jenkins.

Bešović was working in a hotel when the pandemic started in 2020. "I was forced to stay home, and my husband asked me what I wanted to do. I said, 'I want to do fashion.' And he said, 'Then do fashion.'" Fashion first caught his eye in 2010 when he saw an Alexander McQueen show on YouTube. "From that moment on, I absorbed it. My first real-life experience was at a Valentino couture show in Venice in 2022. There's a legend that at least one person will cry at Valentino shows, and in this case, that person was me."

When asked about print, Hanan Bešović said that, as a content creator, his line of work is very different. "I just go and talk."

Hanan hinted that print media has a credibility issue because there are always deals with advertisers that need to be honored. “You’re not going to read an honest review in Vogue. If I want an honest opinion of a show, I'll look to social media." But aren’t influencers even more beholden to brands? Bešović said that he’ll always speak his mind. “I’m not afraid. Brands don’t have to invite me to their shows. I have Wi-Fi at home, so I’ll still see the show.” He mentioned that brands often provide scripts when working with influencers on paid content. “I understand their perspective, but nobody knows my content better than I do. I know what works, and I tend to have better working relationships with brands that understand me.”

He also said that print journalists have more access to information than influencers do. "You have 700 people at a show, but maybe only ten people who can go backstage and talk to the designer." At the same time, social media shows us much more than traditional media ever did. "Without social media, we wouldn't know Robert Wun or Benchellal."

Here are some of Bešović’s recommendations for aspiring content creators:

“Do what you like. Don’t follow others; create your own path. Do something unique and stick to it. Instagram is not a measure of success. A body of work and trusting your instincts will get you further than any Instagram post. Stick to what you think is right. Be persistent.”

Like Hanan Bešović, legendary stylist and creative director Karen Binns started her fashion career without any connections to the industry. In an interview with renowned podcaster Recho Omondi, Binns reminisced about her childhood in New York City. “I didn’t go to fashion school. My mom was a maid, and she used to bring home Vogue magazines from her job. It wasn’t until I started buying clothes that I began to understand fashion. I started working the door at clubs. I hung out with Jean-Michel Basquiat, and we became close friends. That friendship opened many doors in the art world, which was more lucrative and prestigious than fashion. I attracted photographers, designers, and models. I caught the right wave and was introduced to fashion.”

"When I work, I don't use my phone. If it comes from your phone, anyone could copy it. It’s not authentic. You need to put your phone down and do research in a different way. Take the train and go somewhere no one else is going. That’s what will make you stand out. I’m 65, and I’m still blowing things up."

"Everyone makes mistakes," Binns said. "I have fucked up. A mistake is an opportunity to learn. They allow you to see what you can do better. You just keep moving. In the end, you no longer care if people say it’s great. You'll know it's great."

Patta co-founder Guillaume “Gee” Schmidt grew up far from New York City, in the small Dutch town of Den Bosch, but he believes that streetwear brands need to be in big cities to thrive. “We need to be able to bring people together.” 

At 14, he was into basketball and hip-hop, he told host Dominique Nzeyimana. "I was a headache for my parents." They came from Suriname, where I was also born. We are Maroons, descendants of enslaved Africans who escaped the plantations. I did pirate radio as a teenager. We got our records in Utrecht and Amsterdam. We got our information from Yo! MTV Raps and magazines.

Patta currently has stores in Amsterdam, London, Milan, and Lagos. Schmidt explained that Patta "moves where it belongs." We had been going to Lagos for quite a few years. We are not imperialistic. If we were going to do something there, it had to be authentic. We had to know the people. As children of the diaspora, we always kept in mind that the places we are from are not really our home. We fully own the Patta stores in Europe, but for Africa, we wanted to ensure there was also African ownership.”

"Our journey is what made Patta what it is today. It’s still not easy; not everything that glitters is gold. There aren't many business owners who look like Ed (co-founder Edson Sabajo) and me. We still have a long way to go. Many people closed doors on us. We always said that if we ever became successful, we would be different from the people we met on our journey. You have to give back. You can't just take. You can’t be greedy.”

The conversation between Flanders DC’s Simon Gryspeert and fashion CEOs Ann Claes and An Kluft also touched on Africa. Claes is the co-owner of CRG, the company behind the brands JBC, CKS, Mayerline and HNST. Kluft is the managing director of Pluto, a label that specializes in leisurewear and nightwear. In October 2024, Gryspeert, Claes, and Kluft participated in a mission to Ghana, one of the main destinations for discarded clothing from around the world, including from Belgium. As much as forty percent ends up in landfills, local waterways, and the sea or is burned. This has disastrous consequences for the local community.

"We can't solve everything by ourselves, but it's important to bear witness," said Claes. "The scale of the problem is huge. It was important for me to be there with the other CEOs. Even though we have 200 stores in Belgium, we’re small on a global scale. Together, you’re stronger and can achieve more.”

“Seeing all those stands at Kantamanto Market selling clothes,” said Kluft, “you wondered who they were selling them to. The market wasn’t safe or clean. There were babies sitting where they were dyeing clothes. But it was colorful and lively. Then, we went outside and saw the gray river. It was empty and full of trash. I looked down and saw a sleeve sticking out of the dirt. I realized that I was standing on layers of clothing and mud, meters high. It was shocking.”

“I think it’s impossible to feel comfortable when you’re there,” said Ann Claes. “We try to create nice collections and sell them, but we’re also responsible. What we do has consequences.” 

How are the CEOs trying to improve? Claes mentioned that her company, JBC, encourages customers to bring in used children’s clothing. "They receive a voucher, and we resell the clothes. It's better than throwing them in a recycling bin.” Claes and her team have also started keeping tighter control of the inventory. “In the short term, we cannot manufacture on demand because we work with factories in the East, and transporting goods would take too long. However, we use AI to project stock levels.”

Kluft’s mission with Pluto is “to design and manufacture clothes that make you feel so good that you keep wearing them.” If the quality and design are good, a product has no end of life. It’s also important to focus on single-blend materials. In our case, that means more 100 percent cotton.”

In Antwerp, the journey from Africa to China was a short one. Business analyst Ed Sander discussed the global growth of China’s “Four Little Dragons”: Alibaba (known for AliExpress), SHEIN, Pinduoduo (TEMU), and ByteDance (TikTok Shop). A recent survey of 37 countries found that 40 percent of e-commerce customers made their last purchase on a Chinese website. These Chinese companies thrived because Western brands abandoned Chinese factories for cheaper manufacturing facilities in Vietnam and Bangladesh. This created an opportunity for companies to focus on inexpensive Chinese goods for Chinese consumers. Taking advantage of inexpensive transportation and low import taxes, these companies then conquered the world. They receive a lot of criticism, some of which is fair and some of which is not. But we should look in the mirror first. Were labor conditions in China better before SHEIN and TEMU? Who moved their production out of China, allowing these brands to thrive? And who keeps buying all these cheap clothes?”

“The biggest danger is underestimating these companies. They won't sell your products. They will sell Chinese products. The Chinese will always win with low prices because of their agility and supply chain. Europe has quality, innovation, branding, and service. However, the Chinese are improving in these areas as well. If you are complacent, slow, or don't act, you might get left behind.”

Hanan Bešović returned to the Arenbergschouwburg stage to interview Bernadette co-founder and creative director Charlotte De Geyter for the closing conversation. Under De Geyter's creative direction, Bernadette has earned a cult following for its distinctive blend of timeless femininity that resonates with women of all generations. 

“For me, art is about freedom. Fashion, on the other hand, is a business. I find a lot of freedom in creating prints because there are no restrictions."

“I’m proud that so many brands in Belgium are led by women,” said De Geyter, who runs the label with her mother Bernadette. “We represent two different generations of women. We talk a lot about what makes us feel good. At the Antwerp Academy, all my friends and I shared the same dream: becoming designers. After graduating, I moved to London for an internship. But I called my mother every day. We had a special creative relationship. I had created my own universe in school, and I missed it. I had a story to tell, so I moved back to Antwerp. We sat down together to see what we could do. We started with just one item: printed silk dresses. They had simple shapes and beautiful fabrics. It was a strong message. I loved designing prints, and eventually, we expanded to include homewear. Our customers followed suit and bought into the new categories as well. When orders come in throughout the night, they're the first thing I see on my phone in the morning, and that always motivates me. I can see how the clothes are being worn on social media, which is very satisfying.”

Odeta Jace, fashiontech expert and founder of future technology experiences consultancy Storyfounders, took the audience on a visionary journey through the future of fashion. She looked at the way today’s consumers navigate three interconnected identities: physical, phygital, and virtual. Her keynote challenged brands to rethink fashion not as static products, but as living, emotional ecosystems co-created with future innovations, rooted in material science, and enhanced through immersive tech. 

“We’re entering a cultural shift where minimalism in the physical world will coexist with digital maximalism. Spatial computing, AR, and gaming are transforming fashion into a real-time emotional interface. The brands that will lead tomorrow are not those selling products only, but those crafting meaningful, multi-sensory experiences across three realities.”