History
With mass production and mindless spending taking over, we want to be an antidote.
We strive to offer unique garments, worthy of investing in.
We believe in purchasing quality clothing, because it makes us think before we buy. Picking that particular garment makes us reflect on how we want to portray ourselves. By truly investing in a key piece, we consider the thought and time that went into designing that piece. It makes us treasure these finds and wear them until they become our own. Making each piece of clothing become more personal and a part of oneself.
So we search the globe and closets in Belgium for special pieces from avant-garde designers.
Why? Because they offer timeless designs of superb quality that already have withstood the test of time. And in the end, the cost-per wear and love-per-garment will be much higher.
2010
That’s how we started in 2010: bargain hunting for vintage designer items. But this quickly evolved further: Why not share these finds and make these designer clothes accessible for more people?
2013
In 2013 we opened little stores on eBay and second hand sites; but we got disappointed by the disproportionate low bids, and felt these were not representative for the quality garments we were selling.
2015
So in 2015 we decided to launch our official webstore, VANIITAS, selling worldwide. We try to keep a healthy balance between consignment pieces and vintage treasures we found online and in Antwerp.
Van•i•tahs
A Vanitas is a symbolic painting, originating in Flanders and the Netherlands in the 16th century.
It depicts a still life, often including skulls, candles, dried flowers, music instruments and watches.
All of these symbolize the passing of time and act as a reminder that life is only temporary,
so we must better enjoy it while we can.
And what better way to enjoy it than get up every morning and drape ourselves in luxury?
Mission Statement
At VANIITAS we don’t believe in fast fashion and the mass consumption of clothing.
The high street chains keep on getting more expensive, while maintaining their doubtful production practices and without improving their garments’ quality. This results in making the cost per wear equal to those of new luxury items.
We focus on Belgian, Japanese and avant-garde brands since they mostly produce in Europe or Japan, giving the consumer a superb quality and offering everyone in the supply chain a fare wage.
As we don’t believe in mass consumption, we believe in shopping sustainable. By buying secondhand, you’re not contributing to the big waste pile, while looking fabulous at the same time.
That’s also why all of our shipping packaging is made of natural materials and is 100% recyclable.
Our interior giftboxes are made of thick reusable carton with a magnet strip closure. We urge you to keep and re-use these boxes as shoe- and jewelry boxes. Or use them for giftwrapping a present for someon else later on.