From the wild outdoors to glitzy fashion runways, enchanting art studios and the dusty archives of your next-door neighbour: I like to keep my eyes wide open and my work area as broad as possible.
My journalistic career started on a bright, cold morning in the South-African bush, in the company of two hunting cheetahs, covering the threats and challenges these magnificent creatures face nowadays. Over the next few months, my work included in-depth reportages on wildlife and social initiatives all across the country.
Moving on to the world of fashion, I have been documenting the stories behind our clothes for over a decade. First, as Elle Belgium’s digital editor-in-chief, and currently as a freelance journalist and editor-at-large for l’Officiel Belgium.
My fascination with fashion stems from the way it mirrors societal and cultural tendencies: there’s so much more to a shoe than you’d expect. Preferring what goes on behind closed doors over shiny facades, I spend a lot of time backstage, hanging around secluded design studios and searching for the untold, hidden angle in every story. Season after season, I have discovered many new talents and was able to put big names in a new daylight.
I launched Moments magazine in 2020: an independent travel & lifestyle magazine for wandering families. There is a big misconception that people lose interest in travel, culture, adventure design, music or art at the moment they start a family. Parenthood is only the beginning of a bigger picture, including little ones ànd all the inspiring aspects of life.
So, this project is a love letter to my daughters and all the special moments, big and small, that make family life so precious.
Additionally, as a freelance journalist, I have published many articles and books about history, arts, science, culture, travel and sports for clients such as Newsweek, Flanders DC, The Moodist, Artista and Goodbye Mag. As editor-in-chief of Knokke Heist Magazine, I investigate all the ins and outs of this famous little coastal town.
My love for history runs deep because, very much like fashion, it helps us understand the world we live in. I am a bit of a research freak.
In fact, you might very well add the shiny titles of treasure hunter, collector, time traveller and corporate daydreamer to my business card – “writer” alone sounds a bit blank, don’t you think?
The common ground in the stories I tell? A personal, humane vibe.
Whether it be an haute couture dress, a crumbling castle or an artwork; there is always a soul hiding behind it, a culture, a particular history, and even maybe a legend or two. With every piece I write, I get to know new people and their tales -probably the part I love most about my job and why I’ve published so many portraits over the years. It’s also why I gladly accept working on small-scale, personal publications -this is where the part about dusty attics comes in…
Last but not least: stories can translate into more than words alone. That is why I work as a creative consultant to help brands tell their particular tale in an authentic, meaningful way. There’s a good story for every mood, and I happen to be a master at unlocking those moods -even the grumpy ones!
