Belgian lingerie company Marie Jo L'Aventure has formed a unique partnership with Belgian fashion duo A.F. Vandevorst to create a special collection Marie Jo L'Aventure by A.F. Vandevorst.

Pure forms and taut lines - Marie Jo L'Aventure is the epitome of design. To accentuate this, next winter the brand is initiating a design line in association with designers.

In A/W2010 Marie Jo L'Aventure reveals the result of the first of these creative collaborations. Marie Jo L'Aventure is an innovative design series inspired by the pièce unique the Antwerp fashion duo made for Marie Jo L'Aventure. An original modular object articulating A.F. Vandevorst's vision on the lingerie of the future.

The goal is to collaborate with international guest designers, explains Fabienne Dewulf, brand design manager of Marie Jo L'Aventure. They may come from various sectors of the artistic community, including the visual arts, photography, product design, choreography and music. For the first collection we partnered with Belgian fashion duo A.F. Vandevorst. They were not a random choice. Their pure, somewhat androgynous, urban style has much in common with Marie Jo L'Aventure's style.

We did not hesitate for a second when Marie Jo L'Aventure asked us to work with them on a new project. It's a strong brand with a strong reputation in terms of design, quality and fit, says Filip Arickx of A.F. Vandevorst. We like the idea of a one-off collaboration: you work very intensively for a short space of time, then you let go and set out on your own way again. We think it's been a very successful project and we are behind it one hundred per cent. We had a good working relationship, based on mutual respect. We are two very different businesses, but we share the same sense for perfectionism and comfort.

LINGERIE OF THE FUTURE - A PIÈCE UNIQUE

An Vandevorst and Filip Arickx were given free rein to express their view on the lingerie of future. They designed a pièce unique: three wooden dummies, attired with felt corsages. Elements could be added or removed, like a three-dimensional puzzle. No seams - only copper split pins. Resulting in a modular object that pays homage to women and their lingerie.

We believe in the return of authentic, hand-made creations, says An Vandevorst. That traditional aspect is expressed in our pièce unique, a sculptured dummy attired in felt lingerie. We consciously chose a wooden dummy, because we wanted to produce a warm object. Not a cliché sexy dummy. That's why we chose a figure somewhere between a girl and a woman. We had felt corsages moulded onto the dummy using traditional hat-making techniques.

THE COLLECTION: FELT PRINT AND STUDS 
PRODUCE A POWERFUL LOOK

Based on this pièce unique and in collaboration with A.F. Vandevorst the Marie Jo L'Aventure stylists designed a striking collector's collection: Marie Jo L'Aventure by A.F. Vandevorst.

Marie Jo L'Aventure's interpretation of the coarse-looking felt of the pièce unique is a very soft high-quality material printed with a true-to-life photographic print of felt, which produces an amazing trompe l'oeil effect. The copper split pins attaching the felt to the dummy are rendered as studs, which add a rugged touch to the lingerie.

The layers of the pièce unique are conveyed among other things in the form of a 'double bra', comprising a transparent triangle top under an opaque bra with fibrefill half cups. The result is a sensual neckline embellished by the gorgeous interplay of the four shoulder straps.

Another interpreation is the revamped corsage combined with a tranparent tulle body. The mix of colours, lines and materials make this combo a design classic. The corsage is ideal as a standalone garment, with or without the body. It is the star of the A/W2010 Marie Jo L'Aventure collection. An Vandevorst: I love lingerie myself. They are mini garments you buy purely for yourself. The great thing about lingerie is the contrast between revealing and concealing. This is perfectly expressed in the Marie Jo L'Aventure by A.F. Vandevorst collection.

The collection also comprises a fibrefill cup, a balconnet and a strapless bra, alongside a rio brief, shorts and g-string. The suspender belt completes the set. The knickers with transparent leg are reminiscent of briefs worn over skin-tone nylon stockings, further accentuating the layer effect. Marie Jo L'Aventure by A.F. Vandevorst comes in two colours - Earth, a light natural colour combined with skin-tone tulle and distinguished Charcoal with dark grey tulle.

TOUR THROUGH EUROPE

A.F. Vandevorst's pièce unique will tour Europe in 2010 and will be exhibited at a number of Marie Jo L'Aventure points of sale:

• Belgium - Antwerp: Inno, Meir 80-82, September 20th through October 3rd
• Belgium - Brussels: Inno, Rue Neuve 111-123, October 4th through October 17th
• Germany - Munich: Karstadt Bahnhof: Bahnhofplatz 7, October 19th through November 1st
• Denmark - Copenhagen: Illum, Ostergade 52, November 4th through November 14th
• Netherlands - Amsterdam: Bijenkorf, Dam 1, November 16th through November 28th

After the European tour, the pièce unique will return to its hometown of Antwerp, where it will be exhibited in the entrance hall of the MoMu, Fashion Museum Antwerp December 7th through 19th. After the tour, the pièce unique will be auctioned, all proceeds will be donated to the Pink Ribbon Foundation, a non-profit organisation devoted to helping women with breast cancer.

Marie Jo L'Aventure by A.F. Vandevorst is available in the lingerie specialist store as from September 2010!

More info: www.mariejo.com