Raf Simons and Other Belgian Designers Reimagine the Christmas Tree

by Stéphane Gaboué

Last year, a Brussels-based fashion multitasker named Aymeric Watine was wondering how he could soup up his store for the holiday season. Then he remembered the Sapins de Noël des Créateurs, an event created 19 years ago by French TV legend Marie Christiane Marek (her US equivalent would be Elsa Klensch). The concept was to have fashion designers use their imagination and recreate Christmas trees, which were then auctioned off for charity. With Marek’s blessing, Watine took the idea to the Belgian capital. The first edition attracted 14 designers and 60,000 euros.

This year, 38 designers are on board, including high-profile names like Raf Simons, Stella McCartney, and Diane Von Furstenberg. To be auctioned December 1 for BIG, a breast-cancer awareness group, the creations range from the predictably phallic (such as Natan’s spare wood structure) to the pious (Kryst’s beautifully pixelated Madonna and child, made of tiny plastic tubes). Among the more unexpected are Jean-Paul Lespagnard’s scarf — showing a popular Christmas meal of sushi, waffles, and a roast — draped over a man’s head, as well as Wouters and Hendrix’s downright campy tree admiring itself in a mirror. Simons’ much-anticipated contribution is an large plush sofa in the shape of a tree — baby not included.

Jean-Paul Lespagnard