Belgium

In 1958 the World Fair was held in Brussels, sparking post-war interest in design. Six years later, in 1964, a Design Centre was opened. For two decades it served as a focal point for showcasing and nurturing the Belgian design industry, until it abruptly closed in 1986 following the death of director Josine des Cressonnières. 

The 1980s also saw the emergence of the Antwerp Six, a group of clothing designers – among them Dries van Noten – who put Antwerp on the design map. Today, fashion is still a big deal in Belgium, but so is furniture. Some big names include Xavier Lust with his sleek steel benches and mirrors, Dirk Maylaerts and his curved wooden desks, and Bram Boo, whose startling Loch Ness combines storage with an integrated desk and stool. 

Design promotion

In 1991, five years after the demise of the Design Centre, a new design promotion body was founded. Design Vlaanderen (Design Flanders) is Belgium’s government-funded design organisation, with a remit to promote design in business and public life, and support designers. It organises fairs, competitions, exhibitions, and workshops.

The Interieur Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in the city of Kortrijk, first staged its Biennial in 1968. Every two years, as part of their mission to ‘promote creativity in product development and design,’ the Foundation hosts this major international exhibition of recent developments in design.

The new kid on the block is Designed in Brussels, a publicly-funded organisation which launched in March 2004. Designed in Brussels’s remit is to assist new designers by providing them with administrative support, training, business contacts, advice, and practical help with production and marketing.

Facts and figures

Flanders is home to 12,000 design businesses. These are businesses that see design as their core activity.

The turnover of these 12,000 design businesses is almost €16bn.

In Flanders, there are almost 11,000 design industry jobs, with a further 200,000 that can be described as design-related.

In 2004-2005, about 500 students were in the final year of a course that would lead them directly to a design-related career.

Breakdown of design sector (by number of businesses):

Technical and engineering     18%
Textile, jewellery, furniture   2%
Interior architects      7%
Window dressing      2.3%
Printing        7%
Activities related to printing     5%
Photography       9%
Ad agencies       23%
Self employed artists     15%
Services around art     10.7%

(Source for all figures: Design Vlaanderen)

Education 

La Cambre  (Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Visuels) offers degree courses in areas including interior design, industrial design, and textile design.
For more information, visit www.lacambre.be

St Luc (Enseignement Superieur des Arts) offers a range of courses including interior design, graphic design and illustration.
For more information, visit www.stluc-bruxelles-esa.be

Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles offers courses in urban design, furniture design, interior design and more.
For more information, visit www.aca-bxl.be