She is considered the most powerful woman in Belgian fashion, but with the sale of the Ann Demeulemeester label to an Italian entrepreneur, Anne Chapelle is throwing in the towel. “If you stick your head out of the grass here, it’ll be knocked off right away.”
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There is a door on the second floor of the headquarters of fashion label Ann Demeulemeester on the Antwerpse Populierenlaan. This leads to the neighboring building: the Guiette house. The only remaining Belgian design by the famous French architect Le Corbusier came into the hands of Ann Demeulemeester in 1983. After the designer sold her brand to her business manager Anne Chapelle in 2013, the door remained, even when Demeulemeester’s son moved into the house.
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When we casually ask Chapelle what will happen to that door now that she sells the fashion brand to Italian entrepreneur Claudio Antonioli, the usually cool and businesslike Chapelle gets down. Her voice stops and she almost gets tears in her eyes.
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We wondered what song we should play now. We came to ‘Non, je ne regrette rien’. But maybe Paroles paroles would be a better fit for this industry.
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‘I’m going to have to brick the door shut, I think now. The new owner will keep the headquarters here, but the property will remain the property of our company and insurance will require that door be closed. ” She pauses. “That symbolism of the farewell is very difficult for me.”
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Chapelle has been working on the sales process for a year, which was completed this week. ‘I am over 60 and my initial intention was to leave the company to my son and nephew, who already work there. But the tension in the cash flow had become too great and my other shareholders no longer wanted to participate in the story. ‘
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Was the corona crisis the extra push that led to this sale?
Anne Chapelle: ‘No, our growth is higher than ever. But the industry has changed dramatically in the last five years, as many suppliers have come into the hands of the big houses, which are now almost an oligopoly. We used to be able to pay for our basic materials 30 to 60 days after purchase, while now we have to pay that money in advance. That is heavy. Certainly now that the retailers are also finding it increasingly difficult due to online competition and also pay later. ‘
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‘We had finally recovered from the dip that had arisen after the departure of Ann Demeulemeester, which led to a moment of incomprehension among customers. We had finally phased out the credits we had taken out for this. But we didn’t get new ones, because the banks can only look at the balance of the previous financial year, while in this sector you are always one year ahead because you only receive the income in the next fashion season. We grew by 34 percent, but you have to pre-finance that growth yourself. And because my two minority shareholders no longer wanted to participate, I had to look for a partner. ‘
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If you still have to talk about the Antwerp Six today, you have done absolutely nothing afterwards.
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Could you not have found new minority shareholders?
Chapelle: ‘It is very difficult to find it, because you buy an activity at a low point and you have to pre-finance the growth. That scares investors. And with Claudio Antonioli I found someone who has been selling our brand for years, has the right mindset and is willing to keep telling the same story. ‘
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You want to keep Ann Demeulemeester’s Belgian roots. What guarantees have you received for this?
Chapelle: ‘Claudio wants to keep the headquarters and our ADM store in Antwerp. I suspect that production will move to Italy, where the government has a much better strategy for fashion companies than here. Fashion is a much more important part of the gross domestic product there, and therefore receives more subsidies. ‘
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What does that mean for your 60 employees?
Chapelle: ‘I have not yet reported any job loss. But eventually Claudio Antonioli will have to decide what happens to the people in the production. I think his intentions are good, but how he will carry it out is his way from now on. I am not among them. ‘
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Weren’t you going to stay on board as a minority shareholder?
Chapelle: ‘That has been agreed to make guarantees possible when finalizing existing deals. But the intention is that I will be gone within three years. I will not stay active. I built things here from scratch thirty years ago. In my soul I am an entrepreneur. So I’m not going to sit in front of a computer to do what others decide for me. I am someone who really wants to do something new. ‘
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And do you already have plans?
Chapelle: ‘Yes of course.’
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Go ahead.
Chapelle: ‘It is still too early for that. But I am determined. You will see: I really want to make my contribution to the sector. ‘
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You are also the owner of the Haider Ackermann label. A few months ago it sounded that you wanted to sell that too.
Chapelle: “We have not reached an agreement on that.”
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Because that brand is too difficult financially?
Chapelle: ‘Haider Ackermann is a popular name, but sales are not going along. I did everything I could to include the label in the deal, but it didn’t work out. There are other conversations going on, but you have to find someone who wants to invest in a start-up, as it were, who wants to root for new growth. ‘
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And if you don’t find it, will Haider Ackermann survive?
Chapelle: ‘I have to look at the numbers, and today I am recording a mega loss with the brand. You can plan your expenses very carefully, if your income is halved, partly because a number of large customers go bankrupt, you cannot just straighten that out. ‘
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‘Added to this is the crisis in the retail trade. I don’t see online sales growing as fast as the rate at which retail is disappearing. Yet I believe that contact in the store will continue to prevail over time, especially for brands that rely on a story. It is a special moment. Will online save everything? That is wishful thinking in this industry. ‘
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The consumer will still want to fill his wardrobe, right?
Chapelle: ‘I think people – rightly – are going to buy more consciously. This period has awakened us all. We are faced with the need to meet our primary needs. That might be a good thing in this overconsumption society. I think everyone in the industry, from the smallest to the largest home, is now being forced into a reality check. If people spend more consciously, companies have to produce more consciously. ‘
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Isn’t that an opportunity for smaller fashion houses like Ann Demeulemeester?
Chapelle: ‘Yes, there is certainly an opening for smaller players with a story, and for creative people. But the devil in the whole game is that those creative people don’t want to stay small, and expectations grow above their heads. If you cannot fill that in as a company, you have a major problem. ‘
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With the exception of Walter van Beirendonck, all iconic brands of the Antwerp Six are now in foreign hands or have been discontinued. Is there still something like Belgian fashion?
Chapelle: That’s a very good question. (leaves a long pause) We got a lot of dents, and sold a lot of brands. I do believe there is room for Belgian fashion, but we have given up everything. ‘
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Don’t you do that now?
Chapelle: ‘I am already very happy that we can keep it operational here. I understand that our products are not cheap and have an expensive image. But if you buy a jacket elsewhere, you may have spent five times more after five years, because it won’t last that long. ‘
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‘Therefore, it may not be a bad thing that we consume more consciously. Buying something different every week is good for an adolescent who needs to hang out on the Meir. Do you want quality and sustainability, or rather fast food? I think it is a role for parents and schools to contribute to this awareness. ‘
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Could we have done more in Flanders to keep the fashion sector here?
Chapelle: ‘I tried to do that by advocating for entrepreneurship in education. But none of that was necessary. Well. I made my contribution, by speaking, making studies and connecting people. But Belgians may not be proud enough of what we do ourselves. Only when a brand has been sold to another do we start talking about it. ‘
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You were one of the champions of Belgian independent fashion. With the sale of this brand, do you admit that you did not succeed?
Chapelle: ‘We’re the last, aren’t we. With the exception of Christian Wijnants, which is a very beautiful house. It’s not in our culture to grasp fashion. We understand more easily what is happening in biochemistry, in the port or in the food industry. If you still have to talk about the Antwerp six today, then you have done nothing exactly afterwards. Where are all those children from the Fashion Academy? In the big houses abroad, in fantastic positions. ‘
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And why not here?
Chapelle: ‘There is so much envy in this country. If you stick your head out of the grass, others will want to take it right off. I too was portrayed as someone grim and cool. But also look behind my back: if people have been working for me for thirty years, I will not be such a naughty person, will I? If I have to go for the kill, I will. But that does pay off for the people who work here. ‘
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If you look back on that career now, would you have done it differently?
Chapelle: ‘I talked about it yesterday with my cousin Martijn, who is in the company. What song should we play now? We came to ‘Non, je ne regrette rien’ by Edith Piaf. But perhaps Dalida’s’ Paroles paroles’ would fit better in this industry. ‘
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Will your wardrobe look different now?
Chapelle: ‘No, I will continue to adore the brand. Of course I have always supplemented my own collections with pieces from other designers, but you cannot get my own shoes off my feet. And because the stuff doesn’t break, I’m fed up with it for a second and third life. But of course I am sad. This is a very schizophrenic period. ‘
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And yet you’ll have to close that door upstairs.
Chapelle: ‘That realization hits me hard. So you see: I am only human, not a machine, even if it sometimes seems that way. ‘
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