Brussels – On Wednesday evening, in the roof garden on the twenty-ninth floor of The Standard hotel in Brussels, a chic crowd discussed the show they had just attended. More than a month before the presentation to international visitors during the Haute Couture Week in Paris, the Belgian and Dutch public had the (usual) honor of discovering the autumn-winter 2026 couture collection of the independent fashion house Natan.
The scene took place in ‘The Greenhouse’, a spacious, green space on the ground floor of the hotel, where several important guests stayed at the warm invitation of the Brussels house. The brand, led by Édouard Vermeulen since the 1980s, attracts an exceptional customer base. From Queen Mathilde to many politicians, they all embrace this wardrobe that adds a touch of controlled fantasy to the most conventional outfits.
In the green setting, the public got the scoop on the house’s radiant colors for the new season. Édouard Vermeulen, known for his balanced color palette, emphasized his shades on monochrome outfits. Backstage he confided that he had taken minimalism a little further than usual.
To this graphic simplicity of the line, ‘Monsieur’, as his employees call him, adds a lightness that he considers necessary: ”A winter collection is very different, because we realize – perhaps due to global warming – that we sell the summer season eight to nine months a year. That is why our winter must also have a certain lightness.”
This necessity gave rise to coated lace, silk taffeta with an airy volume and a very contemporary flexibility in the silhouette. Because the idea, the artistic director reminds us, is also “to give the couture spirit a very simple character”. An approach similar to that of other Parisian couture houses, as proposed by Mathieu Blazy at Chanel.
When asked about the figures, the house claims a growth rate of 28 percent over the past three years. CEO Gloria Barudy Vasquez admits that she must refuse certain multi-brand retailers in Belgium to maintain limited distribution (120 wholesale points of sale and eight company-owned stores).
Although the brand plans to expand into Spain and Switzerland with future openings, the Benelux remains its historic core market. These early buyers provide the majority of the income, which justifies this model based on selectivity. A unique approach that continues into the customer relationship: it is not unusual to encounter Édouard Vermeulen himself in the boutique, where he advises his customers.
From politician to new insider: a portrait of loyal buyers
It is this listening ear and the positioning of ‘accessible couture’ that allows the house to attract a prestigious clientele, which could gradually become more diverse. But who really are the women who make up the Natan universe today? An imaginary portrait in four parts of this versatile clientele.
The politician
Whether Queen Mathilde of Belgium or a Member of Parliament in the European Parliament, these powerful women have found in Natan the perfect armor for their official functions.
The discovery of the brand: The introduction often takes place in the closed circles of palaces and diplomatic power centers. Although the appearance of Queen Máxima of the Netherlands serves as a showcase for Natan’s craftsmanship, this customer is not looking for a royal imitation. She rather finds the security of a stately silhouette of a Belgian name, with a more ‘creative’ appearance than that of the heavyweights in the luxury industry.
The pieces she buys: The house bestsellers. She prefers the impeccable fit of flared dresses in cotton canvas or Dior-inspired suits for state visits. Her wardrobe also includes dark dresses, reminiscent of the timeless elegance of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, whose sobriety is deliberately enhanced with brightly colored gloves.
What made her loyal: The absolute sharpness of the cut, which does not tolerate a single fold under the eye of the photographers. She also appreciates the brand’s unique balance, which breaks institutional classicism with cheerful accents. However, it is mainly the almost confidential bond with Édouard Vermeulen that definitively anchors her attachment to the brand.
The mother of the bride (and her inner circle)
This is a ceremonial client, looking for a stately, formal look for an important private event.
The discovery of the brand: A bell skirt from Natan, seen at a cousin’s wedding last summer, has stayed with her. This made the brand an obvious choice for her daughter’s wedding.
The pieces she buys: She is more interested in couture lines than in ready-to-wear. She loves long, sleeveless dresses in silk taffeta, tops embroidered with satin pearls and matching ballerinas.
What made her loyal: The memory. The garment transcends its function and becomes a memento of a party. The couture look of the house and the emotional dimension of the preparations perpetuate the bond with the brand.
The aesthetic collector
This profile approaches clothing from the perspective of contemporary art and design. She sees fashion as an area for plastic expression.
The discovery of the brand: She heard about Natan during one of the brand’s many artistic activations. For example, the participation in Art Brussels 2026, where Natan invited artist Mattias De Leeuw to paint the wings, volumes and craftsmen. An initiative that attracted the attention of this clientele from the art world.
The pieces she buys: She focuses on ready-to-wear pieces with the greatest textile or chromatic radicality. She can also be seduced by a pair of buttercup yellow couture trousers with balloon volume, displayed in one of the Natan boutiques. Her choices fall on sleeveless tops with a ‘ball’ volume, ensembles with tinted plexiglass fringes or dresses with rooster feathers that give her step a kinetic dimension.
What made her loyal: The boutiques. Because that is where the interaction between fashion and art, maintained by the brand, is expressed. She regularly goes there to ‘just look’, seduced by the renewed artistic and warm scenography of the outlets. And she secretly hopes that the brand will one day decide to develop a furniture line.
The new initiate
This latest profile illustrates the new generation of Natan customers, attracted by recent boutiques and a modernized wardrobe.
The discovery of the brand: On holiday in Knokke, she entered the brand’s second store (‘Edouard by Natan’), opened in the spring in the Belgian seaside resort. She then explored the corners of the historic boutique: a kind of large family home, close to the outlets of other big luxury names, including Hermès and Louis Vuitton.
The pieces she buys: She uses a modular approach by mixing strong pieces and basics. She is attracted to embossed materials (for example, jacquard trousers with embossed leaf motifs) which she combines with sustainable essentials, such as the poplin shirt (a classic of the brand) or the transparent tops from the winter 2026 couture collection.
What will make her faithful: The coherence of the positioning. She likes the idea of having access to a product with the finishing demands of couture, while maintaining a desirability and legibility perfectly anchored in urban modernity.
The journalist, Julia Garel, was invited to Brussels by the Natan house to discover the world of the brand.
This article has been translated into Dutch using an AI tool.
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