In November we started preparing the Re/Touches workshop. We = Fabienne, Eugenie, Rosalie, Laia and myself, a mix of artists, professional costumière/seamstresses, bricoleurs, hobbyists, enthousiasts – in no particular order/combination. All kinds of ideas started bubbling up and one of them an idea from Fabienne. She wanted to walk in Brussels, armed with her camera and get a flavour of the existing Retouches ateliers, or shops/workspaces where you can drop of items of clothing to be repaired, altered, changed. Quite often the repair work is combined with tailor-made clothing and dry-cleaning.
Almost to no exception, the shop where the customer enters is also the workspace of the couturier/repair person.
The sewing machine is often visible from the street as are scissors and other tools. These tools or antique versions can also be in the shop window.
The names of the repair ateliers are very diverse (with rough translations):
Retouche Gregoire, Couture Patrie (homeland couture), Mon couturier (my couturier), Les ciseaux (the scissors), Le dé d’or (the golden thimble), La fée blanche (the white fairy), Art & couture Joana D’Arc, Grace B Couture, Retouche chez Gabriel, Flash Couture, Les ciseaux les Family’s elegance, De fil en aiguille (very poetic because it is an expression: leading to another), Daniel Couture = Daniel Retouche, Retouches Dailly, Couture Caspian, Au renouveau (renewal or revival – made active, so to renew or to revive), Angkor couture, Amaryllis couture, Aiguille magique (the magic needle) and many many more…
Have a look at all the photographs taken by Fabienne. Have a stroll through Brussels with the Retouches ateliers as a guideline (click on next).
