Stéphanie D'heygere, winner of the 2018 ANDAM accessory prize, returns to the boarding school of her youth in Belgium to shoot students in uniform accessorized with her latest collection
In January 2018, Stéphanie D'heygere surprised with a first collection of semi-jewellery and semi-leather accessories, double-function pieces, diverted as Dadaist. Earring-flower, necklace-cigarette, glove bracelet, eyeglass case bag, chain stitching, jewellery box earring etc. : at D'heygere accessories use Trompe-l'œil effects, out of context that make the salt of the brand. The designer uses everything and is inspired by everything around her to create: BIC pen, metro ticket, shirt sleeve ... Like so many bases for her future "readymades". "It's sacred because it's chosen” said Marcel Duchamp, one of the leading figures of the Dada movement and one of the first artists to amalgamate his work notes to his work, an inspiration for the Belgian designer. Stéphanie D'heygere graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and received ANDAM's Fashion Accessories Award. It was by chance during an internship at Lanvin that she discovered the world of accessories. In 2011, she joined Maison Martin Margiela as an accessory designer until 2015. She was then appointed senior jewellery designer at Dior before launching into freelance and collaborating with several fashion brands including Y / Project.
The designer unveils her latest campaign, shot by Arnaud Lajeunie, with Ursina Gysi in style. For this occasion, she returned to her Belgian boarding school in Loppem to photograph the last year students accessorized with parts of her collections from SS19 and FW19. On navy blue uniforms, the accessories stand out - accentuating the contrast between the rigour of the clothes and the creativity of D'heygere jewellery.
"Once, during an interview, the reporter asked me where my passion for accessories came from. Very spontaneously I replied that it was perhaps related to my years of internship, where I had to wear a uniform. The only elements that were not part of it were the accessories: backpack, little jewels, shoes, socks that allowed to reveal a little personality. It gave me the idea to go back to school to do something. I was afraid the management would be reluctant to this project but she loved the idea. We photographed girls between 17 and 19 years old: all those who wanted to participate could, we did not make a casting. When we arrived at school, we had never seen them before. They were born about the year I left school. Nothing has changed except that the skirts are much shorter than in my day!“
No makeup for the photo shoot:
"We wanted it to be as natural as possible, not a disguise. The girls were able to choose what they wanted to put on, we wanted to make sure they were comfortable.”
Always in the spirit of the brand, practicality and aesthetics are mixed, worn and features multiply.
"We find a very slender bag, inspired by a flea-chipped model created to store woollen balls and knitting needles; detachable earrings accumulated on a Creole that remind us of these jewellery presentation stands; horn comb charms: you can comb your hair and attach them to your belt or bag; a silver scarf holder with a detachable wool scarf reminiscent of the idea of a coat rack.”
The designer has fun codes, hijacks the symbols as with this silver engagement ring set with Zirconia which shines like diamond (fruit of a collaboration with Swarovski) and which can be worn as an earring, this necklace support bra or this ankle jewel connected to the waist inspired by a wallet chain.
"My aesthetic is realistic, I'm not in fantasy and I'm not trying to sell dreams, so to speak.”
By Sophie Abriat for i-D