The Antwerp based clothing label JacQ is an ode to Jacqueline. Not Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis aka Jackie O, one of history’s greatest style queens ever but to the grandmother of designer Valerie Defraine. The (polo)dresses are designed in Antwerp and hand-made in Amsterdam from dead stock Valerie buys at fabric sales in Antwerp. The sleeves of the newest dresses are made from left-over tissues from Belgian designer Dries Van Noten.
It was written in the stars that Valerie Defraine (24) would do something with fashion or beauty. Her grandmother Jacqueline – hence the name of the brand ‘JacQ’ – worked for years as department director at Estée Lauder and had a particularly good sense of aesthetics. For decades her stepfather Louis runs G&G For Men – a tailor-made clothing business on the Britselei in Antwerp and her mother Pelagie worked for years for a distributor of lingerie.
Since high school Valerie dreamed of a career in fashion. So it came as no suprise that she started working as sales in a clothing store where she learned a lot about fabrics. It was no different during her training as a sales for the Antwerp boutique of the Amsterdam clothing brand Fabienne Chapot. Valerie learned how fabrics react to things, how silk can feel warm in the winter and cold in the summer, how to combine certain fabrics , … Eventually she started working for a tailor who wanted to design tailor-made suits for men. But Valerie felt that this wasn’t her thing. Her heart was in women’s clothing. The result of her new adventure is JacO, a brand new sustainable brand working towards a sustainable future in fashion.
Picture by David L.F. Smith
“JacQ is a sustainable brand working towards a sustainable future in fashion.”
Valerie Defraine, founder and designer JacQ
All the clothing items are designed by Valerie herself and made from dead stock she buys at fabric sales in Antwerp. “I especially want to make basics with a small original twist and appeal to a wide audience”, Valerie says, “I also try to keep in mind that my clothes should be affordable for everyone. Until now I mainly focused on dresses, but soon there will be blazers as well. Every design is a limited edition of 5 pieces so you can be sure that your aunt won’t wear the same dress on that family reunion. Unless she is one of those four others that have great taste into sustainable fashion.
Info jacQAntwerp
