Lieve van Gorp and her journey through fashion.
Overview:
Shrouded in mystery, Lieve van Gorp is unfortunately not a well known designer. However, I think that she should be recognized for her work in the avant garde/archive fashion scene. Lieve graduated from The Royal Academy in Antwerp in 1987 as a part of the second wave of Belgian Designers to make their fashion runway debut. Although she graduated around the same time as the Antwerp 6 + 1, her designs did not become real pieces until 1991. This is due to her prioritizing her collaboration with other Belgian designers as a stylist at the time.
Lieve being most known for her artistry in leather designs, her first ever collection was an assortment of accessories, consisting of belts, bags, and bracelets, later pioneering her career as a designer, and kickstarting her brand. In 1991 she was recognized for her impressive work and was nominated for the Golden Spindle award, shadowing winners like Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Van Saene, and Marie Antoinette. In 1993, her accessories gained so much popularity that it was able to establish itself as a legitimate brand, later incorporating womenswear into her collections in 1995 as well as opening a flagship store in Antwerp and releasing menswear in 1997. The same year, Lieve returned to the Royal Academy and taught fashion as a professor. At this point, Lieve’s work became well known in the industry and decided to continue to expand. So, Lieve began showcasing both women and menswear in Paris. However, in 2001 she suddenly discontinued her brand as a result of the sudden diagnosis of dystonia that her partner, Greet Ruelens, contracted. Since then, Lieve’s whole life has been dedicated to helping find a cure and raise awareness for this deadly and life altering disease. Despite battling with her partner’s Dystonia, she did make a resurgence and was involved with the “Goddess' ' project by MoMu in 2004, naming her section in the project, “Marriages”. Unfortunately, Lieve has never interacted with fashion since then.
Design:
Lieve van Gorp’s designs pull inspiration from gothic and rockstar origins, becoming critical for her philosophy. Contrast to her Catholic upbringing and the nature of catholicism, which embraces the orderly and even attitude towards fashion, Lieve's motifs consist of rebellious acts, antichrist notions, classism, bondage, emotion, aggression, and the in between of men and women. Lieve’s work was always changing with the times and with every artistic choice, she wanted it to be new and different to convey the emotions that she has in her clothing. Lieve’s work is also very sought after because of the label’s exclusive period and finite amount produced.
“3000 catholic kids, wearing the exact same uniform, imagine the horror! Customising those clothes to my own style — rebelling just within the rules — is my first recollection when it comes down to fashion. I even attached small objects like a puppet or a colourful ribbon to my school blazer with safety pins to personalise it.”
Printed on a shirt from her spring 1999 collection titled, “First Feeling for Fashion.”
She also took inspiration from Martin Margiela with this take on the cigarette shoulder.
“This is dedicated to the one I love.”, is one of the best examples of Lieve’s fashion philosophy. With the anecdote on the sleeve possibly referring to, “Wearing one’s heart on their sleeve.” is intricately designed to clash with the overall gothic tone of the piece. Given the title, this garment is also very symbolic of the connection that Lieve has with her partner, Greet.
Lieve van Gorp A/W99 “Gothic and Rock Classics” Leather Collar
In 2010, Lieve contributed 1 million Euros to fight dystonia that her partner contracted in 2001. Stating that she and her partner buy their clothes from Zara took me by surprise because of the irony in buying fast fashion despite having numerous collections produced and sold at a small scale in Paris. I guess it's due to the fact that they want to leave the history they had with fashion in the past and prioritize their private lives, which is admirable, but it is still important to shop responsibly.
Lieve also created a non-profit organization to help further the future generation of women artists.
Some of my favorite pieces that I can find right now:
This vintage Lieve piece is crafted with leather, which she is known for, if i had the money, I would buy this and never look back. It is so beautiful.
Lieve van Gorp S/S00 VHS TAPE
You can also find the digital version here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGIAVu6yORw
Part of the A/W98 Collection, “Heroes or Victims” Osama bin Laden on a T-Shirt
Lieve van Gorp A/W00 lookbook
Written by: Tyler Thum
Edited by: Jeffrey Pak
Sources:
Extra Articles:
It’s in Dutch but her living space is very interesting. If you can’t get in, use 12footladder and translate page to English.
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