Nathalie Vleeschouwer

Nathalie Vleeschouwer heads the company Natale. The management of Natale is in the hands of the designer herself and her husband, Jan. They have run the company together since the 1990s with the help of their son and daughter. Around 40 people work in front of and behind the scenes every day, from pattern-maker to saleswoman in the shop.

Nathalie Vleeschouwer herself is the main designer within a creative team and works with her own pattern maker. Each design is worked on from A to Z by the team. They strive for trusting relationships with all suppliers and manufacturers, and in this, transparency and long-term cooperation is essential. They say they regularly visit their partners, to strengthen ties and build a true relationship of trust with mutual respect.

More than half of production takes place in Belgium for both ready-to-wear and knitwear.

The remaining production is divided between Portugal (ready-to-wear), Turkey (the HAND capsule collection), and China (the fine knitwear). Nathalie’s son did his internship for six months in China with the knitwear manufacturer.

The collections from Nathalie Vleeschouwer include a diverse array of materials, with a significant portion consisting of natural fabrics such as cotton and linen, and semi-synthetic materials such as viscose, made from cellulose derived from wood pulp. This selection highlights sustainability and biodegradability, often resulting in a less harmful environmental impact compared to fully synthetic materials like polyester and nylon.

COSH! advises consumers to read labels carefully. Opt for products made from mono-materials! These materials have a lower environmental impact and are easier to recycle. The brand also always clearly indicates where the item was produced. Choose locally produced pieces if you want to minimize your environmental impact!

Step by step, they are working to integrate more ecological fabrics into the collection every season, keeping in mind a correct price-quality ratio.

Nathalie Vleeschouwer acknowledges that there is room for improvement in terms of circularity within their operations.

While the brand is committed to sustainability, they still utilize many material blends that may hinder recyclability.

Currently, Nathalie Vleeschouwer does not offer recovery services, resale, or rental options, which are crucial components of a fully circular model.

Nathalie Vleeschouwer’s production chain demonstrates strong local anchoring. The creative, commercial, and administrative teams are all housed under one roof in Antwerp, and more than half of the production occurs in Belgium for both ready-to-wear and knitwear. This local nature significantly reduces the ecological footprint.

The brand also strives to minimize the environmental impact in the rest of the production chain. Other production is spread across Portugal, Turkey, and China.

Their leather shoe collection is produced in Spain.

The current clothing collection from Nathalie Vleeschouwer appears to be essentially vegan, as it does not contain any animal-derived materials, unless animal products were used in the production process.

However, the brand also offers a leather goods collection of shoes and bags. The origin of the leather used is not specified, with the items being produced in Spain and Turkey. Transparency regarding the origin of materials is crucial for assessing their impact on animal welfare.

COSH! encourages Nathalie Vleeschouwer to provide more detailed information about these products and their production processes to enhance transparency and allow consumers to make more informed decisions.

By launching only two collections a year, Nathalie Vleeschouwer emphasizes the importance of slow fashion: fashion that is timeless and not driven by fleeting trends. The collections are made with love, designed to be worn for a long time, and can be styled differently each season. On their website, they display items on a wide selection of models of all weights and ages, underscoring their commitment to accessible and long-lasting fashion.

At Nathalie Vleeschouwer, they avoid indulging in hypes or overproduction. Their vision is to create honest fashion that both the maker and the wearer can be proud of, and that customers can enjoy for a long time.

The brand also offers comprehensive care tips for their garments on their website. These tips are designed to help customers extend the life of their purchases by caring for them properly. For specific care instructions by product type or material, please visit their website.

Nathalie Vleeschouwer scores reasonably well in terms of transparency, providing clear information about the materials used and the production location for each item. This transparency offers consumers good insight into what they are buying and where it comes from. However, for a more complete picture, additional details on the origin of specific materials, especially leather, would be beneficial. COSH! emphasizes the importance of this more extensive transparency to further inform consumers about the impact of their purchases.