Now is the time to think about buying tickets for the annual Les Petits Riens charity fashion show, scheduled for November 18, featuring clothes, accessories, jewellery and furniture fashioned from cast-offs
Recognised as a major event on the Brussels fashion calendar, this is the ninth year running that the Belgian charity Les Petits Riens has invited dozens of designers to create one-off pieces using what they can find amongst the donations of second-hand goods and clothes it receives.
With a catwalk show the highlight of the event, Edouard Vermeulen of the couture label Natan, jewellery designer Isabelle Lenfant and furniture designer Paul Quadens are among the top names who have agreed to participate. Every exhibit is auctioned in aid of Les Petits Riens, with funds raised this year destined to finance a new shelter opening in January 2012 for homeless youths between the ages of 18 and 24, with the objective of helping reintegrate them into society.
Les Petit Riens is a major player in the fight against social exclusion and poverty in Belgium. Established in 1937, the charity accepts clothes and household goods, as well as financial donations, and sells them in a number of outlets around the country. With an average 600 customers a day, the headquarters at Ixelle’s Rue Americaine, more a warehouse than a shop, is a treasure trove of second-hand goods from furniture and household appliances to books and bicycles. Next door, Retro Paradise offers a selection of quality vintage clothing, and the nearby Baby Paradise is exactly what its name suggests.
The Second Hand Second Life fashion and design show will be held Friday November 18 at Tour et Taxis from 19h; tickets at €30 and VIP tickets for €55 go on sale at the end of September – check Les Petits Riens website for details.
Les Petits Riens
Rue Americaine 101, 1050 Brussels
Tour et Taxis
Avenue du Port 86c, 1000 Brussels
