Where can you find a really good fabric store these days? Since September 22nd, at least in the Belgian fashion metropolis of Antwerp. Bakermat has opened there – a fabric store, but also a materials agency, and a digital fabric library will soon be added. “We want to fill a gap that currently exists in the transition from physical to digital fabrics.” The founders Cedric Jacquemyn and Quinten Schaap explained exactly how this works in an interview with FashionUnited.
For people who work in the fashion industry, it might be hard not to get excited about Bakermat. First, there is Bakermat’s physical location – the fabric store. This store offers fabrics from manufacturers from all over the world. Its purpose is to show what materials are available, but also to help young designers discover these materials and learn how to work with them. “We want to make it clear, ‘These techniques still exist, and these are the people who use them.’ Thanks to the store, young fashion makers can now get to know these materials.”
For example, selvedge denim from Japan and hand-woven fabrics from India, but also linen from Belgium and silk from Italy are offered. For each material there is completely transparent documentation of the origin, production methods and other details.
Bakermat is a fabric store, materials agency and digital textile archive all in one
Bakermat relies on a targeted selection of materials. There are various aspects to the selection process. First of all, “sustainability”, although Schaap and Jacquemyn don’t necessarily like the word. “Whatever is high quality and can be found in Europe is sourced in Europe. But what we are looking for outside of Europe is, for example, selvedge denim in Japan. Or a jersey fabric made on old Japanese machines that you can’t find anywhere else. It just has to come from Japan. The handwoven fabrics come from India because there are no handlooms left in Europe,” explains Jacquemyn. “The selection process is structured so that we only operate outside Europe if the techniques are important enough to bring to Europe.”
For example, when the two of them choose hand-woven fabrics, they do so because they want to keep a craft alive and preserve it. By selling these textiles, you also support a community that produces the fabrics in India, for example. Thirdly, Schaap and Jacquemyn also pay attention to “future-oriented” materials, such as fabrics with recycled components. “When making our selection, we look for a balance between tradition, craftsmanship and the future,” they say.
Bakermat therefore offers a wide range of fabrics: “We want to give everyone access to these materials.” In fact, it can be difficult for young fashion designers to establish contact with producers of certain fabrics. Bakermat therefore not only offers fabrics in the store, but also helps you take the next step. Bakermat is also a fabric agency at the same time. “We work on a consultant basis. We help everyone, such as designers and fashion companies, who come to us and ask: ‘Hey, we’re working on this collection and we’re looking for something, and this is our way of thinking as a company and what we stand for,’” explains Schaap. “Since we already have such an extensive archive of materials, we can better advise customers on which offers might be interesting. In this way, we want to create connections within today’s industry to help everyone move forward.” Schaap and Jacquemyn already have the contacts with the manufacturers and can therefore act quickly. “We are a kind of intermediate step.” Often the producers want to work together but don’t have time for the many requests. Bakermat not only relieves the burden on designers, but also on manufacturers.
Antwerp has gained a “forward-looking” fabric store with Bakermat
To go a step further and create a complete ecosystem, a digital fabric library will also be opening this fall. The available materials are digitized in a format that can be used directly in the digital design process. All properties are immediately included. “In digital design, people sometimes find 3D textures online and use them in the CAD program. Then they find a texture for a 490 gram wool loden fabric and are happy with the designed item, but then they have to physically find that material somewhere,” explains Schaap. “If you then want to move from the virtual design process to the physical realization process, there is a problem because you have chosen a material that you have picked out on the Internet.” If you change the material, the drape of the fabric and the cut parts change must be adjusted accordingly. “Otherwise you end up with strange shapes.” So there are advantages to designing with the digital information of the physical material that you get from Bakermat.
Access to the digital information about the materials Bakermat sells is through a subscription-based platform. An additional advantage of digital fabric structures is that designers can order the fabrics directly from Bakermat’s webshop once they are satisfied with the digital design.
After speaking to the two designers and entrepreneurs, it’s hard not to think Bakermat is a textile paradise in Antwerp. “We want the choice of a fabric to be not just an aesthetic decision, but a conscious one,” they emphasize.
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl
