As French designer Anaïs Lalu explains below, Brussels fashion school La Cambre is a breeding ground for the big fashion houses. Once you start looking (as OC has this year), the studios of labels from Dior in Paris to Theory in New York are filled with Belgian natives, as well as graduates from its much-buzzed-about schools.
Now available at OC, Anaïs' master's collection is a testament to both La Cambre's rigorous training and the designer's unique eye. It's a colorful mash-up of bold textures and couture-level techniques. Tailored pants come with looped scalloped trim, skirts look more like origami, and one sweater combines shearling sleeves with technicolor mohair tartan. It's no wonder Anaïs was snapped up straight out of the gate. Find out where below.
Shop Anaïs Lalu here.
Name of your collection:
Des Brilliants Dans Le Ciment
Please describe it in 140 characters or less:
It’s about the shiny parenthesis of a Saturday afternoon.
If you could dress anyone in it—dead or alive, real or fictional—who would it be?
A really young Anjelica Huston
Did you use any special techniques in your collection?
I tried to use the really classical, sometimes almost couture, techniques—embroidery and hand-sewn finishes.
Favorite piece?
The asymmetric open side pants
If you opened an Anaïs Lalu flagship store, where would it be and what would it look like?
I would want to open several in different cities, with corners selling clothes (of course), accessories, books, and art. Then others would have bakeries or chocolate bars.
What is your typical workday like?
Get up really early, start with some brainless activities, then once I've woken up I begin my favorite part: hand sewing and embroidery (while I watch sitcoms I’ve already seen a million times).
What music do you listen to while working?
It has to keep me awake: anything from Carly Simon to late-90s hits to the radio.
What made you choose La Cambre?
It’s a fashion department inside an art school, and it’s a public school, so it’s very removed from "the Parisian style.” But it’s also the school that guides you into the houses. Few people finish the course, but you’re part of the La Cambre family by the end of the process, and the best part: you have a place to show your final-year collection.
Who is your ultimate Belgian fashion idol?
Raf Simons, and my ultimate Belgian idol is René Magritte.
What’s something about Belgium everyone should know?
The humidity and cold are canceled out by the nice people, the way of life, the beer, waffles, fries, chocolate, and architecture.
Waffles or fries?
Waffles, even the ones from the grimey underground stands.
And finally, what’s next for you?
I’m now in Paris, assisting at Balenciaga.
Shop Anaïs Lalu here | Shop all Belgian designers here.![]()
Now available at OC, Anaïs' master's collection is a testament to both La Cambre's rigorous training and the designer's unique eye. It's a colorful mash-up of bold textures and couture-level techniques. Tailored pants come with looped scalloped trim, skirts look more like origami, and one sweater combines shearling sleeves with technicolor mohair tartan. It's no wonder Anaïs was snapped up straight out of the gate. Find out where below.
Shop Anaïs Lalu here.
Name of your collection:
Des Brilliants Dans Le Ciment
Please describe it in 140 characters or less:
It’s about the shiny parenthesis of a Saturday afternoon.
If you could dress anyone in it—dead or alive, real or fictional—who would it be?
A really young Anjelica Huston
Did you use any special techniques in your collection?
I tried to use the really classical, sometimes almost couture, techniques—embroidery and hand-sewn finishes.
Favorite piece?
The asymmetric open side pants
If you opened an Anaïs Lalu flagship store, where would it be and what would it look like?
I would want to open several in different cities, with corners selling clothes (of course), accessories, books, and art. Then others would have bakeries or chocolate bars.
What is your typical workday like?
Get up really early, start with some brainless activities, then once I've woken up I begin my favorite part: hand sewing and embroidery (while I watch sitcoms I’ve already seen a million times).
What music do you listen to while working?
It has to keep me awake: anything from Carly Simon to late-90s hits to the radio.
What made you choose La Cambre?
It’s a fashion department inside an art school, and it’s a public school, so it’s very removed from "the Parisian style.” But it’s also the school that guides you into the houses. Few people finish the course, but you’re part of the La Cambre family by the end of the process, and the best part: you have a place to show your final-year collection.
Who is your ultimate Belgian fashion idol?
Raf Simons, and my ultimate Belgian idol is René Magritte.
What’s something about Belgium everyone should know?
The humidity and cold are canceled out by the nice people, the way of life, the beer, waffles, fries, chocolate, and architecture.
Waffles or fries?
Waffles, even the ones from the grimey underground stands.
And finally, what’s next for you?
I’m now in Paris, assisting at Balenciaga.
Shop Anaïs Lalu here | Shop all Belgian designers here.
