40 + years of STIJL

An intimate look at four decades of Belgian fashion history

We are in the Dansaert district of Brussels. It is the 1980s. The forerunners of Belgian fashion are opening stores here. Sonja Noël is the first. For 40 years, through her STIJL boutique, Sonja has been translating contemporary Belgian fashion into everyday fashion wear. By supporting new brands and young designers, STIJL has played a part in writing the story of fashion in the city, the region and throughout the country.

40 + years of STIJL is more than just the story of a boutique. Both inspired and inspirational, the central role of this woman is revealed through 68 silhouettes created by 46 designers. It highlights the link she created between designers and customers, between high fashion and people’s everyday lives, between a boutique and a whole neighbourhood.

At first glance, the story of STIJL is not particularly different from that of any other fashion boutique. What sets it apart, though, is its unique selection of designers. STIJL is the place where collections move from the conceptualised and image-based world of fashion to the experience of everyday life.

Like the boutique itself, the exhibition 40+ years of STIJL highlights the work of designers. The exhibition is not arranged in chronological order. It is structured around STIJL’s values. What exactly are these values? The designers, collaborators and customers that Aya Noël me to build the exhibition are the best People to explain. They each describe these values in their own way: originality, authenticity, soul,…

These values have been translated into the three main themes of the exhibition: pioneers, insiders and timelessness, referring to the characteristics of the designers as much as to STIJL itself.

To structure the tour, the curator has also considered the role of the boutique. This is what allowed the most avant-garde designs to find a place in everyone’s wardrobe. When STIJL first opened, Belgium was a hotbed of new artistic trends. The first avant-garde fashion designers were the Antwerp Six. Sonja discovered the work of Marina Yee. She persuaded the young designer to sell her prototypes to STIJL. Through her she met the other members of the “6”. From that moment onwards, her close relationship with designers, combined with her ruthless, instinctive selection process opened a window into the precise mechanisms of creation and production that make this fashion so unique.

• 1984: STIJL opens its doors at 26 rue Antoine Dansaert, and Sonja Noël discovers Marina Yee’s work at the Canette d’or competition.
• 1985: In collaboration with Walter de Weerdt, STIJL opens a menswear store at 22 Rue Antoine Dansaert. Two years later it is followed by a lingerie store.
• 1995: Sonja Noël helps to set up Modo Bruxellae, an organisation dedicated to young, talented fashion designers in Brussels.
• 1996: Sonja Noël and Erik van der Post take over KAT, a multi-brand children’s clothing store located at 32 Rue Antoine Dansaert. The store is renamed KAT & muis. In 2017, Kaatje Sandra takes over KAT & muis and opens a store on the Place du Vieux Marché aux Grains.
• 2002: Sonja Noël and Erik van der Post open the very first European Martin Margiela boutique at 114 Rue de Flandres. Nine years later, Nicola Vercraeye takes over this store. In 2020, this is taken over by the Saint-Martin Bookshop.
• 2010: Sonja Noël and Erik van der Post open Haleluja on Place du Nouveau Marché aux Grains, a multi-brand designer boutique with a focus on sustainable collections. In 2014, Haleluja becomes STIJL men. The women’s and men’s clothing collections are separated.
• 2024: The sisters Fien and Tine Prophete take over Underwear.
• 2025: A retrospective exhibition entitled 40+ years of STIJL opens at the Fashion & Lace Museum.