A BLOG curated by is looking forward to the release of a new book by the Antwerp duo of makeup artist Inge Grognard and her partner, the photographer Ronald Stoops.

Published by Ludion, their book contains rich, sensual images from the earliest days of their work up until today, and features many of Antwerp’s most renowned designers – including Haider Ackermann, Jurgi Persoons, Maison Martin Margiela & Walter Van Beirendonck.

The pair have worked extensively with A, from our very first NºA featuring Dirk Van Saene right through A#1 with Margiela, the cover of A#3 with Haider Ackermann - the list goes on.

Inge’s confronting personal style is evident throughout the pages, with her exploration of the world of makeup through an often surreal & gothic lens, utilising many of the most cutting-edge products to distort our perception of the human face & body. As simply as a jarring black brushstroke across the eyebrow or elaborate as silicone mouldings, Inge challenges her audience to look again and experience a manipulation of our expectations.

Ronald’s vibrant, atmospheric images do the utmost justice to her work, in this expression of a lifetime partnership in creativity.

Inge Grognard/Ronald Stoops will be available in bookstores from the end of October, 2010.

Above: The cover of INGE GROGNARD/RONALD STOOPS.

Above: The cover of “A MAGAZINE curated by Haider Ackermann” by Ronald Stoops, makeup by Inge Grognard.

Above: Maison Martin Margiela show makeup by Inge Grognard, as featured in Vogue Paris.

Above: Walter Van Beirendonck in BAM! Magazine, 1988 by Inge Grognard and Ronald Stoops.

A BLOG curated by is once again delighted to host an article by contributing editor Filep Motwary, from his blog Un Nouveau Ideal, this time in conversation with Belgian fashion photographer Ronald Stoops.

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Ronald Stoops studied photography in Antwerp. Over the last 25 years, he has been taking pictures for almost every Belgian designer such as Martin Margiela, AF Vandevorst, Jurgi Persoons, Walter van Beirendonck, Dirk van Saene, Raf Simons and Veronique Branquinho.
His work has been published in the world’s best lifestyle magazines, such as Visionnaire, i-D, View on Colour and Purple. Over recent years, Ronald Stoops has also been presented at international group and single exhibitions, e.g. at the Deep Gallery in Tokyo, the Galerie Triangle in Bordeaux and various cultural institutions in Belgium.
Also collaborates with some artists like Narcisse Tordoir and Michael Dans.

Filep Motwary: Ronald,for the past 35 years, the main body of your photographic works focuses on others peoples creations and
moments. What are the notable changes you see in fashion, through all this time?

Ronald Stoops: That everything repeats, but some of the designers do it on a very authentic
way, they make it new and interesting.
At the end everything repeats it selves, but some of the designers do it in a very
Authentic way, they make it new and interesting.

FM: Having in mind that you basically started off with ANTEWERP’S SIX, back in the 80’s; the fact that you are still collaborating with most of them is really impressive. What has their vision offered to your own?
RS: Cooperating. I find the interaction of collaborating with interesting people always exciting.
It is the interchanging of ideas, which often brings an additional value to my own vision.

FM: How did everything start for you really?
RS: It started with Marina Yee, for the magazine “This is Belgian”
In 1986-87 we had a Belgian magazine called “This is Belgian”, where the most
of the styling was done by the Antwerp’s six. My first important photoshoot was
with Marina Yee for this particular magazine.

FM: Your personal work is quite graphic. On the other hand, the same can be said about your backstage photography.
What is your ritual?
RS: It’s more about contrast, emotion and movement. That it turns out graphic is a
nice coincidence but it’s not the main idea.

FM: What do you see in the works of young designers you collaborate with in comparison with those who are already an establishment?
RS: I don’t see a difference, they are all hard workers and extremely professional.

FM: How can a garment become less interesting behind your camera lenses?
RS: If I cannot touch the soul of the garment, or if I don’t find a connection with it
or with the designer. But I always try to make it interesting, even if it’s not, by focusing on the model or cutting in a garment.

FM: To what extend you feel that fashion today involves a social element?
RS: Fashion is a reflection of the time spirit, nowadays there are no limits and
trends anymore, it became really individual.

FM: I would like to know more about your work as an artist?
RS: Collaborations with painter Narcisse Tordoir, artist Michael Dans, video artist
Marie Julia Bollansée.

FM: And what is your next project about?
RS: We are now focusing on the lay out of a book about our work (of Inge Grognard and me), published by Ludion.

FM: How does your art connect with what you do in fashion?
RS: Fashion & art are both part of my life, so it is always connecting.

FM: What is your biggest achievement so far?
RS: Knowing myself better.

FM: Ronald, what other interests do you have apart from art and fashion?
RS: I adore music; I even made the soundtracks for the last shows of
A.F.Vandevorst. I also love movies: I can get a lot of inspiration out of an intriguing film. And of course Life itself!

FM: What has this business taught you?
RS: The higher the artistic, emotional or spiritual level, the easier it goes.

www.ronaldstoops.com
Lay-out by Timothy Helmer

AMAZE.  A personal vision on contemporary makeup.

Included in Dirk Van Saene’s NºA is this series of natural beauties enhanced by the brush of Inge Grognard, photographed by her husband Ronald Stoops.  Featuring five of Belgium’s top faces in 2001, this shoot was realised in large-scale posters, folding out from the pages of NºA – with Inge’s signature of striking, abstract makeup styles that stray far from the conventional glamour of ‘fashion’, to explore more unusual and artistic shapes and lines that distort and frame the face.

Each portrait depicts a strong and iconic model of the moment – from Laura Delicata, entirely pale faced without a visible fleck of makeup to Ann Oost, whose fine blond hair is painted with a thick stripe of black paint;  Kim Peers, with a strong jawline framed in gold paper, Roos with her cheeks traced in black and mouth powdered in a shocking white like a trompe l’oeil gag mask; and Hannelore Knuts with crystals at the corners of her lips.

Ronald captures an effortless cool in each image, as the girls stare through his lens with a calm feminine power, accented by Inge’s work to create an essence of primal and tribal sensuality.

Above: Kim Peers @ Vision.

Above: Ann Oost @ Dominique.

Above: Roos @ Vision.

Above: Hannelore Knuts @ Vision.

Dirk Van Saene’s NºA is a benchmark in the history of the ‘A’ concept as the inaugural edition, effectively proving the strength and possibilities of the ‘carte blanche’ idea from the very beginning. The strength of his issue is subtly evident even when browsing through the index of the magazine, as even the title of each story begins with the letter ‘A’! The list of contributors tells an intimate tale of friends and colleagues working together to celebrate Dirk Van Saene and his work, a group who have in fact continued to work with A for several later issues – with core players in the Antwerp creative circle including Ronald Stoops, who shot this retrospective fashion story with Dirk.

Mixing and matching collections from the early nineties until the early noughties, this expressive story removes the direct context of a specific season, allowing the garments to shine with eclectic styling and a distillation of the greater essence of Dirk Van Saene’s work.

Photographer Ronald Stoops shot the black & white story in Antwerp with his wife Inge Grognard, who recreated various makeup looks from Dirk’s shows on models Anne & Inge. The shots are alive with a cinematic fervor, as the girls explore new identities with each changing face – from blackened lips to red balls covering the eyebrows, dusty white splotches or a studded forehead. The garments add a poppy, graphic tone that is not lost through the monochrome format, with the textural accessories and crisp shapes forming a youthful blend of 60s silhouettes and 90s grunge.

Top image: Black satin dress embroidered with white pearls (Fall Winter 1994-95), black wool coat with separate segments (Fall Winter 1999-2000).

Makeup: ‘Falling Snow’ Spring Summer 1999.

Above left: ‘Towel’ jacket and choker (Spring Summer 1991),

Makeup:  ’red balls’ (Fall Winter 1999-2000).

Above right: Orange jersey shirt with attached gloves (Fall Winter 1989-90), checked bow tie and off-white tweed shirt with orange inserts (Fall Winter 2001-02), cape (Spring Summer 1996), transparent shoes (Spring Summer 1998), face-net ‘Prettiest Star’ (Fall Winter 1997-98),

Makeup: Spring Summer 1991.

Above: white paper dress (Spring Summer 1999), tulle jacket (spring summer 1991), ostrich feather wig by Stephen Jones (Spring Summer 2001). Shoes as before.

Above left: long white dress with flower photo print (Fall Winter 1995-96),

Makeup: ‘studs’ (Spring Summer 1997).

Above right: short white dress with flower photo print (Fall Winter 1995-96), latex peacoat (Fall Winter 1990-91).

Makeup: ‘studs’ (Spring Summer 1997).

Above: overpainted ‘Renoir’ tourists t-shirt (Spring Summer 1991), separate fur sleeves (Fall Winter 1990-91), trompe l’oeil jeans (Fall Winter 1998-99), hat (Fall Winter 1994-95), embroidered shoes (Spring Summer 1997).

Above left: Knitted boa & ‘Bowie’ brooch (Fall Winter 1991-92), silver leather military shirt (Fall Winter 2001-02).

Makeup: ‘angel dust’ (Spring Summer 1998).

Above right: green woolen coat (Fall Winter 1996-97), brooch (Fall Winter 1995-96), ‘Reward’ tshirt (Spring Summer 1997), ‘Delaunay’ miniskirt (Fall Winter 2001-02), choker (Fall Winter 1991-92).

Makeup: ‘black mouth’ (Spring Summer 2000).

Following Martine Sitbon as the second womens designer to curate an A, it was clear that Veronique Branquinho was to present a very different vision of femininity and the modern woman in A#6. As a designer, Veronique has never been one for excessive embellishment and exaggeration, rather choosing to craft a romantic and classical wardrobe borrowing from masculine tailoring techniques – essentially underpinned with a dreamy softness of fabric and drape.

Wearing her influences on her sleeve, Veronique’s streak of darkness is always evident, as she counts the work of David Lynch and Tim Burton amongst her inspirations, and the music of Nick Cave, Radiohead and Joy Division as her soundtrack.

The 1975 Australian film ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ was the starting point for Veronique’s first presentation in Paris in 1997 – with crisp white shirting, longline blazers and tiered, pleated floor length sundresses setting a relaxed tone. Such classical, elegant minimalism followed through subsequent collections, with flared trousers, trench coats, capes and high-neckline blouses that resounded a film-noir, Katherine Hepburn-esque ease.

Over the years, Veronique has carried her aesthetic through several brooding, cinematic photoshoots with photographers such as Ronald Stoops, Alex Salinas, and Raf Coolen. Portraying women as both powerful and sensitive, the below images tell a sincere narrative of intelligent, instinctual heroines whose gaze penetrates far deeper than fabric.

Above: Spring Summer 1998 photographed by Ronald Stoops.

Above: Fall Winter 1999 photographed by Raf Coolen.

Above: Fall Winter 2002 photographed by Raf Coolen.

Above: Fall Winter 2004-2005 photographed by Alex Salinas.

Above: Spring Summer 2005 photographed by Alex Salinas.

Images, all rights reserved.

Welcome to the first installment of an exclusive historical series on A BLOG, showcasing the early days and first collections of the nine designers who have curated an A.

Though popular culture and society continue to move forward at breakneck pace, the importance of reflection and contemplation of our recent history cannot be disputed, and fashion is a field so ‘hell-bent’ on what is next, that it is easy to overlook the innovations that continue to inform our current and future realities. As designers continue to weave stories from fabric, they cross-reference themselves and others constantly through internal and external research.

Through physical archive pieces and photographs we can trace linear aesthetic evolutions as well as radical changes in a designer or their house. Looking back, one can map greatness from humble beginnings, and regard that which seems mediocre today, as once ground-breaking and new.

To begin our series THE EARLY DAYS, we present a collection of images from the in-house archives of Maison Martin Margiela, alongside the original show notes from their Spring Summer 1989 collection. From the telegram-style invitation, to the scenography of the first showroom – the strength and continuity of the house from the eighties to today is undeniable. With the introduction of the famous split-toed ‘tabi’ boots, the show was highlighted by a white paper catwalk that was stained red by the hoof-shaped shoe soles, as models stamped paint along the runway. Their heads were also often bandaged, in the first example of the house’s incognito concept, and just one of many iconic signatures born from this first era of Margiela.

Please keep reading as this unique project unfolds daily on A BLOG.

Maison Martin Margiela, Spring Summer 1989:

Showroom
102, Rue Réaumur, Paris 75002.
Situated on the 3^rd floor, its three rooms and all contents are entirely painted in white with each piece of furniture covered in white cotton.

Presentation
October 1988

A telegram is sent inviting people to attend ‘Café de la Gare’, an old theater with wooden benches. The women wearing the collection stand down from the podium to join the crowd. Records of hard rock music alternate with softer 1970’s rock. Hair is loosely brushed forward, eyes blackened and lips were red. A line imitating a stocking seam is drawn in pencil on the back of back legs.

Collection
Only one silhouette, to the ankle, very narrow, with cropped shoulders. The form is very constructed by way of many darts. Japanese workmen’s shoes are mounted on thick round heels.

There are three groups of color:
Degrees of white worn against the skin. The sleeves of a sweater or shirt are worn alone, skirts and trousers have knees moulded by darts. Suntan marks are visible on the skin.
Degrees of red are combined. Faces are veiled in bright colored cotton. The models footprints mark the white cotton runway with red paint.
Black and transparent garments are printed with tattoo motifs.

As a finale to the show all of the models come out wearing ‘Haute Couture’ work coats.

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Telegram for two:  invitation to the Spring Summer 1989 presentation.

A tattoo reference for the collection.

The trompe l’oeil line of a stocking painted on a model’s leg.

Spring Summer 1989 presentation photographed by Raf Coolen.

Spring Summer 1989 presentation photographed by Raf Coolen.

Spring Summer 1989 presentation photographed by Raf Coolen.

Spring Summer 1989 presentation photographed by Ronald Stoops.

Spring Summer 1989 presentation photographed by Barbara Katz.

Spring Summer 1989 model line-up, photographed backstage by Barbara Katz.

Spring Summer 1989 showroom, photographed by Ronald Stoops.

A gauze top in the Spring Summer 1989 showroom, photographed by Ronald Stoops.

A tailored blazer in the Spring Summer 1989 showroom, photographed by Ronald Stoops.

A red paint footprint from the ‘tabi’ split toe boots, on the catwalk after the Spring Summer 1989 presentation.

Spring Summer 1989 ‘tabi’ shoe trees, photographed backstage by Tatsuya Kitiyama.

Many thanks to all at the Maison Martin Margiela for their generous cooperation with this project.

Returning to the early days of our journey we are delighted to present A#1, curated by Maison Martin Margiela in 2004 –  the first in the numerical series of A after the founding issues by Dirk Van Saene (NºA), Bernhard Willhelm (NºB), Hussein Chalayan (NºC) and Olivier Theyskens (NºD).

Maison Martin Margiela is known for a subversive, intellectual and often satirical style that permeates through a signature white-washed world, becoming famous in the 90′s for its deconstructed garments and guerilla fashion shows – the antithesis of populist fashion of the times, and a vein being explored in parallel by Comme des Garçons designer Rei Kawakubo in Japan. All garments are labelled with four white top stitches in a rectangular form – a “response to the tyranny of the logo” – a design originally created for easy removal that has evolved into one of the most distinguishing, visible labels one may wear today.

Born in Belgium in 1957, the designer Martin Margiela graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1979, and later spent some years assisting Jean Paul Gaultier before opening his own house. The collective moniker of ‘Maison Martin Margiela’ has signified the work of Martin and his team since 1988, cultivating an anonymity and the effect of a group mentality ever since the first defilé for womens Spring Summer 1989. Martin has remained entirely invisible to the public in the past twenty years, and the house answers all interviews via fax or email.

Throughout the month of February and beyond, A BLOG explores Maison Martin Margiela’s truly iconic magazine – an organic and interpersonal study of the brilliant people who have touched the house in weird and wonderful ways over its two decades in operation. Centred on both Antwerp and Paris, the contributions within the title include handwritten notes, typed working documents, collages, photography, interviews and installation art from the likes of Mark Borthwick, Marina Faust, BLESS, Ronald Stoops, Nigel Bennett and Patrick Scallon. Many contributors have not only been associated with the house externally, but have worked behind its closed doors as designers, models, photographers etc.

Please click here to see A#1 online at WWW.AMAGAZINECURATEDBY.COM, with another back issue released each month. A#2 by Yohji Yamamoto, A#3 by Haider Ackermann, A#4 by Jun Takahashi, A#5 by Martine Sitbon, A#6 by Veronique Branquinho, A#7 by Kris Van Assche and A#8 by Riccardo Tisci are also all available to view online now.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMp4FZzgCSw[/youtube]

The cover of Paola Mola’s book ‘Brancusi: The White Work’ graces the wall of Haider Ackermann’s studio in Paris, photographed by Ronald Stoops for A#3.

Constantin Brancusi was a Romanian sculptor who worked in the first half of the twentieth century, and is known as one of the founding artists of modern abstract sculpture. His contemporaries in the Paris art world included Henri Matisse, Marcel Duchamp and Amadeo Modigliani.

Brancusi was also an accomplished photographer, and used this medium to shed new light on his sculptural works. He shot strictly in black and white, and went beyond documenting his work – rather celebrating his own search for perfection through the evolution of his sculptures within his beautiful atelier,  consequently creating a portfolio of photographs that stands in its own right as a further development of his aesthetic.

Brancusi created beautifully tranquil imagery through his sculpture, in natural materials such as marble, wood and bronze. Symbology in his work often involved the human body (specifically the human head), physical interaction of people, and the physicality and movement of birds and other creatures.  Hs pieces display a deft mastery of sinuous and soft curves fused with a geometric sensibility – works often mounted on cylindrical or rectangular bases that were as much apart of the artwork as the crowning feature.

Brancusi’s most famous artworks include the ‘Bird in Space’ series (above) cast in bronze, an abstract representation of the upward movement of a bird and the beauty of flight – stripping away the reality of feathers and wings to deliver a pure and graceful realisation of the action. ‘The Kiss’ (below) was one of his earliest pieces, created in 1908 shortly after his move to Paris, and was much celebrated for the abstract and delicate relationship between the male and female bodies and the synergy with the natural contours of the stone.

One can divine a certain inspiration and appreciation of Brancusi’s aesthetic in Haider Ackermann’s designs – a purity and simplicity of form and quality of finish that can only be achieved through knowledge and expertise and a unique eye.

The words of Brancusi ring true:

“Simplicity is not an end in art, but we usually arrive at simplicity as we approach the true sense of things.”

Below is a rare piece of silent black and white footage showing Constantin Brancusi in the grounds of his Paris atelier.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFauhi9opHs[/youtube]