On Jan. 16, the Brussels-based womenswear ready-to-wear line Maison Ullens announced that designer Christian Wijnants is taking the helm as new creative director. His first collection will be the Fall/Winter 2023 assortment, which will be presented to the press during Paris Fashion Week.
When the brand launched in 2011, its main goal was to provide the perfect travel wardrobe of chic, sustainable pieces that transcend trends for women on-the-go. 10 years later, that’s still the philosophy that maintains the label’s aesthetic.
Wijnants graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1996 and made a name for himself as a top Belgian designer after winning the Grand Prix of the Hyères Festival in 1997. He worked for Dries Van Noten before creating his own label in 2003. He later was awarded the ANDAM prize in 2006 and won the Woolmark Prize in 2013.
As the brand stated in a release, his mindset reflects that of the Maison Ullens. “Discretion is the major trait of his fashion, which highlights an intelligent femininity. His frank colors and supple silhouettes allow the body to move in a sensual way without cliché. He is not interested in the fashion of the flashy, and there is no greater compliment to pay him than to wear his clothes for 10 or 20 years. All this forms, by his own admission, a set of similarities with Maison Ullens.”
Founder Myriam Ullens had first approached Wijnants two years ago, after closely watching his career for a long time, and the two “instantly bonded” when they met. Together, they hope to strengthen and affirm the Belgian character of the brand and “inscribe in the tradition of a country whose design schools build a fashion where quality and creativity go hand in hand.”
When creating his first collection, which is “rooted in a desire for nature,” there was “constant back and forth” to “absorb” the vision of Myriam. “He’s as gentle as the collection,” Myriam said in the release.
Wyoming served as inspiration for Wijnants’s line-up featuring yellow, orange and green color palettes with shearling, leather and cashmere materials.
In a statement to WWD, Wijnants said he intends to push the label forward. “I love these kinds of brands which are timeless, brands that don’t necessarily follow trends, that make these beautiful pieces that you just want to wear all year long, for many, many years. What I want to bring to that story is maybe a little bit more depth, to have not only essentials and classics season after season, to have not only a color palette that is very muted and subtle, but to bring each season as well a new story,” he said.
The brand shared a preview of what’s to come and released a peek at one look featuring a color that’s anything but muted with a bright blue trench with matching trousers (above).
Maison Ullens has created collections with an in-house team the past two seasons and has worked with designers Véronique Leroy, Kim Laursen and Haider Ackermann in the past. Wijnants is set to create two collections per year. We can’t wait to see what’s in store.
