Fant (founded in 2017) is an acronym for ‘free analysing / never-ending travels’. A mouth full but also a very meaningful personal motto of Cecile Bleyenberg, founder and designer. Does the name ring a bell? If it does, it’s no wonder, because Cecile earned her stripes working as head designer for Humanoid for no fewer than twenty years, during which she had an instrumental hand in the coming to fruition of all sorts of wonderful ‘stories’.
Yet now the time is ripe for her own stories, of which she has plenty. She allows herself to be inspired by various elements such as Buddhism, African tribes, and Indian culture, which is reflected in the diversity of the label’s fabrics. She enjoys working with recycled materials, ecological fabrics, and even vintage clothing. She varies, surprises, and easily goes off the stylistically beaten path through her sensitive use of details such as a deliberately off-centre buttonhole or an unusually located snap-fastener. At the same time, she crafts practical shoppers from what most would consider waste. Indeed, in a world where almost nothing is a matter of course, Cecile stands out for her ability to grab the strands of different cultures and connect them together into the single fabric of her refreshing label. Fant-astic!
