Voxpop

(© Saskia Vanderstichele)

“Vox pop”, that’s short for “vox populi”, the voice of the people. Journalists use the term as well, for short interviews with members of the public, usually on the street. And if you’re in Brussels, down Vlaamsesteenweg/rue de Flandre, it’s also the name of a brand-new clothing shop, with streetwear for men and women. Owners Emma and Olivier met each other on the street, about eight years ago in Bolivia. She is a photographer from Australia, he is Belgian and works in social policy. They travelled around for a while, settled down in London and Australia, but finally ended up in Brussels. After a couple of (shopping) trips to Berlin, they decided to open their own clothing shop, with cool brands, mainly from Germany, and an ethical approach. Most of the items at Voxpop have been made in Europe or, under strict regulations, in China, and quite a few use organic fabrics to boot. What to expect? The shop is quite small, with long racks of clothing on both sides and a table in the middle. You’ll probably be greeted by Lennon first, the friendly labrador and doorkeeper of the shop. Women’s clothing is on the right, men’s on the left – and yes, there’s an equal amount of choice for both. Jumpers by Ploonk, heavy knitwear by z.B. ... Berlin, jeans by Dr. Denim, winter coats by Treches, hats and scarves from Frisur, all labels you probably haven’t heard of before. Price-wise, you might be pleasantly surprised too. Jeans start at 50 euro, sweaters cost around 80 euro, heavy knitwear jumpers with built-in scarf set you back 140 euro and T-shirts are sold at 35 euro. Voxpop stocks the cool backpacks by the Canadian Herschel too, as well as some Belgian vests and T-shirts by Eskimo. For next season, the collection at Voxpop will feature geometric shapes, more organic fabrics (cotton and silk), and Wild West influences. A web shop is on its way too.

VOXPOP ●●●
Vlaamsesteenweg 118 rue de Flandre, Brussel/Bruxelles, 0476-40.92.44, www.voxpop.be, di/ma/Tu > za/sa/Sa 11 > 19.00