Hasselt (Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Hasselt hosts the 1st Fashion & Design Hasselt from October 23–26, 2025, featuring 8 locations, over 60 designers, including Jordy Arthur, Élodie Ouédraogo, and Jord Lindelauf, with free exhibitions, workshops, and lectures.
As VRT News reported, Hasselt hosts the 1st Fashion & Design Hasselt starting tonight, Oct 23, 2025. The 4-day event is fully dedicated to fashion and art. Over the next days, the city will showcase exhibitions, open studios, workshops, pop-up stores, vintage design, and parties.
Designers from Belgium and abroad will participate. The main theme, “Blank Canvas,” focuses on sustainability, inclusivity, and reflection. Organisers say it encourages visitors and designers to think about fashion and art in a changing world.
“Hasselt is unfairly overlooked when it comes to Belgian fashion capitals, despite the talent here,” says Arthur.
What makes Hasselt’s first Fashion & Design event notable?
Hasselt-based designer Jordy Arthur said it is a chance to gain recognition without leaving the city. He said international careers can start in Hasselt. Organisers aim to connect local and international designers.
The 1st edition of Fashion & Design Hasselt brings together top designers from Belgium and abroad. Participants include Élodie Ouédraogo, Too Franken, Bram Kerkhofs, Lore Langendries, Colin van Eeckhout, Charlotte Adigéry, Mitchel Else, Jordy Arthur, Souäd Feriani, and many more. They will showcase their collections in exhibitions and give lectures to inspire visitors.
“These lectures are primarily aimed at the industry, but anyone interested in fashion is welcome,” says project coordinator Isa Dilworth
“We deliberately want to keep the event accessible, so everyone can discover fashion and design,”
she continues.
“That’s why everything we organise during these four days is free and without reservations. We do ask that you arrive on time if you want to attend a lecture, as we operate on a first-come, first-served basis.”
The festival is spread across 8 locations in Hasselt. At the Z33 arts centre, an entire floor is dedicated to designers. Visitors can admire collections from established and emerging designers, including works by Bilzen native Jord Lindelauf. Fashion & Design Hasselt runs from Thursday, October 23, to Sunday, October 26, 2025. Complete schedules, locations, and other details are available on the Fashion & Design Hasselt website.
“My 808 collection consists of three objects that represent the basic elements of a household: a table, a chair, and a shelf,” explains Lindelauf.
“The collection originated from a simple drawing of a chair, and from that, a table and a shelf also emerged. The legs are raw and untreated, contrasting with the high-gloss finish of the tops.”
Hasselt has a rich history in fashion and design that can be traced back as far as late medieval times. At this time, Hasselt became renowned for high-quality woven wool and textile products. This trend continued through the next several centuries, which is what caught the attention of the city council in 1986, when it began publicising Hasselt as a centre of fashion in an effort to acknowledge the city’s textile heritage and its shift toward a culture of shopping.
The opening of the Fashion Museum Hasselt in 1988 was a result of the city council’s efforts and its focus on promoting the city and its growing fashion identity, which functions as a curator of both historical and contemporary fashion, housing around 18,000 garments and accessories and documenting fashion from approximately 1750 until the present.
