Origami

(© Saskia Vanderstichele)

The city centre has seen quite a few new concept stores recently. Origami is the latest addition to the area, a small boutique down Kartuizersstraat/rue des Chartreux, with clothes for men and women, accessories, furniture, and books.

Origami first saw daylight at the end of 2013. Owner Marion wanted her shop to evolve around the human senses. There are clothes, furniture, and items for the tactile sense, vinyl records for your ears, scented candles to appeal to your sense of smell, artworks for your eyes, and books and energy drinks to stimulate your mind. The clothes make up the biggest part of Origami. Marion sells some interesting brands such as Misericordia, a ready-to-wear and fair-trade brand from Peru with pretty dresses and blouses. There’s a selection of T-shirts by the Marseille-based label Kulte and men can choose jumpers and pants by the Danish Suit. The small wooden benches are for sale too, they’re from the Brussels design studio Hopopstudio. Music lovers will find vinyl records by, amongst others, Norwegian DJ Todd Terje and the American rock band Dirty Projectors. The scented candles come with intriguing names as Art Plastic, Haricot Magique and Masque Africain. Every now and then, the walls of Origami will feature some artworks too – as seems to be the trend with most shops these days. At the moment, you’ll also find some books in the store: fashion girl Alexa Chung’s It and Martin Parr’s The Non-Conformists, to name but a few. The small terrasse at the back will be open when the weather picks up, a cozy spot to enjoy a cupcake or an “Elephant memory stimulating” drink – that’s what it says on the can. There’s a little bit of everything and at the same time there’s a lot going on as well. Let’s see what the future holds and which of the senses will see itself developed more.

ORIGAMI ••
Kartuizerstraat 33-35 rue des Chartreux, Brussel/Bruxelles, 02-502.23.31, www.facebook.com/origamiconceptstore, di/ma/Tu > za/sa/Sa 11 > 19.00