Timothy.

Hop Nguyen by Bill T

Lieve Van Gorp spring—summer 1995, autumn—winter 1997—98, spring—summer 1997, autumn—winter 1997—98, spring—summer 1998.

In 1987 Van Gorp left the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp with a degree in Fashion Design. After various jobs as a stylist for Belgian high street labels, in 1991 she launched her first collection of leather accessories, consisting of belts and bags. Only in March 1995 did she expand into a complete women’s prêt-à-porter collection. Soon after she opened her own shop in Antwerp and, in January 1997, launched a collection for men. During these busy years of development, she also took on a teaching post at her old school. 

In March 1999 she presented her first catwalk show in Paris, for both her women’s and her men’s collections. Her collection for men grows out of the concepts developed for the women’s line. Elements are re-used, almost as an afterthought, which make the men’s collection seem to be a season ‘behind’. 

Lieve Van Gorp’s collections blend icons of Catholicism with rock star cult. This mixture is carefully expressed in the ‘merchandising’, which always accompanies her collections. Posters, pins with skulls, the letter ‘L’, exemplify her universe. True to her statement “In my dreams I’m a rock star, but unfortunatly I can’t sing”, Lieve Van Gorp mentions as sources of inspiration rock ‘n’ roll and country & western music, headstrong women like Madonna, Courtney Love, K.D. Lang, Patsy Cline, Skunk Anansie and Patricia Hearst, and men like Jesus Christ, Che Guevara, Willy De Ville and Elvis Presley. 

Photography Bettina Komenda, fashion Sabina Schreder