What's Your Style?

This summer, MAD Brussels turns the spotlight on 11 Belgian stylists from 29 May to 5 September

April 16, 2026

For some, it is a pursuit of beauty; for others, a playful and colorful experiment. With the summer exhibition What’s Your Style? MAD Brussels, the center for fashion and design, turns its focus to an often unseen yet defining force within the fashion industry: the stylist. The scenography, too, is developed in collaboration with a team that typically operates behind the scenes, with Brussels-based More To Show quite literally placing the stylists in the spotlight.

Stylists are visual storytellers. They select, combine, and create context, shaping how clothing is presented and understood. Their work requires not only a keen eye for aesthetics, but also a strong sense of narrative and collaboration. In essence, they compose stories and images at the intersection of fashion, visual culture, and identity.

With What’s Your Style?, MAD Brussels brings together eleven Belgian stylists, offering a glimpse into their work and unique signatures. From established, internationally acclaimed names to a new generation of promising talent, each brings a distinct visual language while sharing a common dedication to contemporary fashion. Their universes range from eclectic statements to subtle compositions, from bold experimentation to refined aesthetics. Within the exhibition, these different worlds unfold through a series of carefully composed silhouettes.

“Nothing is as beautiful, or as challenging, as finding your own style. We present eleven distinct characters and just as many unique styles,” says Dieter Van Den Storm, Creative Director of MAD Brussels. “What may seem self-evident at first glance is in fact the result of a thoughtful process and a strong visual vision. The time has come to place these key players in the spotlight.”

With this exhibition, MAD Brussels not only celebrates the versatility of styling, but also seeks to make its importance visible. What’s Your Style? invites visitors to reflect on the power of image-making and to explore their own sense of style as a personal journey. A journey that is as unique as the eleven voices brought together here: Tom Eerebout, Lisa Lapauw, LOUDMILLA, Benoît Béthume, Ilja De Weerdt, Lieve Gerrits, Farah El Bastani, Vincent Van Laeken, Christine Van Laer, Francis Boesmans, and Jan A.R. Bries.

Tom Eerebout

Tom Eerebout is a Belgian fashion director and consultant. After studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp he moved to London where he developed and solidified his storytelling aesthetic. Together with Sandra Amador, he forms a creative collective that provides fashion consultancy and styling. They were the Fashion directors for Lady Gaga's two Las Vegas Residencies ("Enigma" & "Jazz and Piano") and are responsible for some of Lady Gaga's most iconic red carpet looks. In 2019 the duo won 'most powerful stylists of Hollywood' by the Hollywood reporter. In 2022, Eerebout launched his first eyewear collection in collaboration with Antwerp-based company Komono. Clients include Banks, Kylie Minogue, Sylvie Kreusch, Jake Wesley Rogers, Oscar and the Wolf, Sam Weaving, Jared Leto, Hooverphonic, and many more.

Lisa Lapauw

Lisa Lapauw (1984) is a Belgian creative with a background in fine arts. Following her master’s degree, she developed an interest in fashion as a medium for expression, while maintaining a strong drive for pure creation. In 2007, she took her first professional steps during an internship at Caviar, where she joined the costume department within the Belgian film and television industry. While this environment provided valuable experience, she found herself seeking greater artistic freedom. This led her to pursue a career as a freelance stylist, working for fashion magazine Label and a range of commercial clients. A turning point came in 2011, when she met photographer Mous Lamrabat on set. Driven by a shared ambition to create work beyond the boundaries of traditional magazines, they co-founded the visual, print magazine CRUST. Across three editions, they developed a distinctive artistic identity. Following CRUST, their collaboration continued to evolve within a shared visual language where fashion and art converge, and where Eastern and Western influences intersect. Central to Lapauw’s work are themes of love, humor, and positivity, which she subtly weaves into her visual language and artistic choices. Nostalgia remains a recurring element throughout her practice.

"My work revolves around creating 'future memories': images and silhouettes that feel simultaneously familiar and alienating, inviting the viewer to experience time, identity and culture in a new way."- Lisa Lapauw

Benoît Béthume

Benoît Bethume (1979) was born in Namur. Educated at La Cambre, he developed his passion for image-making and styling. A contributor to international publications such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, i-D, and The New York Times, he has established himself as a renowned fashion editor and stylist. Under the guidance of Manuela Pavesi, photographer and stylist who became his mentor, he refined his approach to magazine styling, extending it to merchandising, notably for the house of Prada. Building on this experience, he became an image consultant for brands including Marine Serre, Lemaire, Ester Manas, REantwerp, Véronique Leroy, and Niccolò Pasqualetti, while also teaching fashion. He is also the author of Mémoire Universelle, an experimental editorial project exploring themes of freedom, obsession, and timelessness.

Lieve Gerrits

With over twenty years of experience in styling, Lieve Gerrits continues to reinvent herself on a daily basis. Today, she works as a freelance stylist, creative consultant, casting director, and choreographer for a range of international fashion brands. While based in Belgium, she works globally, from Milan and Paris to Shenzhen and New York City. She has contributed to magazines such as Weekend Knack, Elle, De Morgen Magazine, De Standaard Magazine, DesignScene, and Vogue Arabia. Gerrits is also commissioned for commercials, window displays, and catalogues for brands including Kipling, Women’ Secret, Essentiel, and Marie Jo. In addition, she oversees styling backstage at shows in Paris and Milan, working with houses such as Chanel, Dior, Dries Van Noten, A.F. Vandevorst, Alexander McQueen, and more.

LOUDMILLA

LOUDMILLA is a creative artist from the Democratic Republic of Congo, currently based in Brussels. As a stylist and creative director, her work merges the elegant and rebellious European aesthetic with her Congolese roots. Drawing inspiration from art, architecture, and personal histories, her aesthetic is rich and diverse. With a background in textile design, she is passionate about garment construction and craftsmanship, focusing on intricate details. Surrounded by fellow creatives, she collaborates across various fields - textile design, photography, fashion, and furniture - translating the beauty she perceives in her surroundings.

Ilja De Weerdt

Ilja De Weerdt (1976) started her career as a stylist in 1997, with collaborations for CULT Magazine, PULP Magazine, and various music artists. Following her move from Ghent to Antwerp, she immersed herself in the city’s dynamic fashion scene, where she started as an assistant stylist and quickly established her place within the Belgian press landscape. Since then, she has produced fashion editorials for leading Belgian titles such as Marie Claire, Knack Weekend, Sabato, De Standaard, and Feeling, as well as for international publications including Vogue, The New York Times, IDEAT, and Dapper Dan. In parallel, she has built an extensive body of work across advertising and fashion campaigns, lookbooks, and music-related projects. Both for Belgian and international clients, including Raf Simons, Jean Paul Knott, Hooverphonic, Charlotte de Witte, Van de Velde Group, Morobé, Sisley, Porsche, Wouters & Hendrix, Carine Gilson, Delvaux and KBC. Her work is shaped through close collaboration with others, driven by long-standing creative partnerships and friendships, including a years-long collaboration with Francis Boesmans. Her style can be described as minimal, infused with a strong sense of humor and art, and marked by a subtle Belgian darkness and influences from her youth, ranging from rave culture to graffiti and skate scenes.

"I have a weakness for beauty in all its forms. That has shaped me into who I am today." - Ilja De Weerdt

Vincent Van Laeken

Vincent Van Laeken is an Antwerp-based stylist and fashion editor known for his sharp, contemporary visual language. His inspiration is deeply rooted in nightlife and club culture. Working across editorial and commercial projects, he has contributed to titles such as Numéro Homme Berlin, ODDA, L’Officiel USA, and Behind the Blinds. Alongside his editorial work, he is active in celebrity styling, having worked with talents such as Miss Fame, Sedef Adasi, Nina Kraviz, Emma Bale, and Amelie Lens. He also serves as fashion editor at Enfnts Terribles Magazine, where he helps shape the magazine’s distinctive, image-driven identity.

Christine Van Laer

Christine Van Laer began her studies at the Antwerp Fashion Academy in the late 1980s. Since completing her studies, she has been active as a freelance stylist, working for publications such as Marie Claire, Knack Weekend, Sabato, De Morgen, De Standaard Magazine, and Numéro NL. In addition, she has styled campaigns for various, often Belgian, commercial brands. She has also built extensive behind-the-scenes experience, including work at FFI for D Magazine alongside Olivier Theyskens, and at A.F.Vandevorst during the Paris shows as Chef de Cabine and in showroom styling.

"For me, styling is translating what I see, in fashion and on the street, into a visual story. It's about strong pieces, deliberately choosing or omitting accessories and unexpectedly combining elements. Ultimately, it's about telling a personal story, of me, the model or the client in a more commercial context." - Christine Van Laer

Francis Boesmans

Francis Boesmans (1989) studied visual arts at the Kunsthumaniora in Berchem before continuing his education at BAcademy in Amsterdam. After graduating, he interned with stylist Ilja de Weerdt, where his trajectory began with a first fashion trip to Faro for Marie Claire Belgium. This internship evolved into a long-term collaboration and friendship, during which he further developed his skills in styling, layering, and production, contributing to numerous editorials. His work has appeared in Belgian publications such as Knack Weekend, Marie Claire, ELLE, L’Officiel, Sabato, Nina, and De Standaard, as well as in international titles including Vogue Ukraine, Behind The Blinds, ODDA, Numéro NL, and Schön. In addition, he has worked on lookbooks for brands such as Christian Wijnants, Raf Simons, and Loro Piana, and has created campaigns for brands including Samsonite, Duvel, and KitchenAid.

Farah El Bastani

Farah El Bastani is a respected fashion and celebrity stylist with over a decade of experience crafting the visual identity of artists, public figures, and brands across Belgium, the Netherlands, and beyond. Today she works with her Atelier at the intersection of image and identity, challenging the way society has shaped us from the outside in. Her process focuses on how you live in clothes, not just how they look. Starting with a question most people never ask themselves: what is the relationship you have with yourself, and how much of it are you willing to show? Some people take up space naturally. Others have learned to make themselves smaller. Styling then becomes a conversation you have with yourself, and then share with the world.

"Styling at its best, beyond performance and limiting beliefs, is simply a fun dance of experimentation and discovery with yourself." - Farah El Bastani

Jan A.R. Bries

Belgian stylist Jan A.R. Bries, born and raised in Antwerp, developed a strong fascination for fashion, imagery, and magazines from an early age. After completing his studies at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI), he began his career as a freelance stylist, gradually establishing himself within the international fashion landscape. His work is defined by a strong visual sensibility and a modern, refined aesthetic, with storytelling at its core. Today, Jan A.R. Bries works internationally for leading publications such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ, Esquire, Marie Claire, L’Officiel, Knack Weekend, and Man About Town.

Creative agency More To Show puts stylists in the spotlight

More To Show is an international agency specializing in technical direction at the intersection of events, fashion, and architecture. It is part of the Show More group, alongside Ombre (lighting design) and PWR Lighting (innovative lighting solutions). Between concept and spatial execution, More To Show develops environments where light, material, and movement interact. Each project becomes a language; each space, an experience. For houses such as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Christian Louboutin, Maison Margiela, and Mercedes-Benz, the agency creates precise, immersive, and sensorial environments. A practice where technique recedes in favor of emotion, and where every detail contributes to a unified spatial narrative.

Practical information

29 May to 5 September 2026: What's your style?

The exhibition takes place at MAD Brussels: Nieuwe Graanmarkt 10, 1000 Brussels. The exhibition is open Wednesday to Saturday from 11am to 6pm, free to the public, subject to online reservation at www.mad.brussels

Images can be downloaded immediately by clicking on the images in the press release. For more information, additional images or interview requests, please contact:

Claudia

Press and Events officer, MAD Brussels