Victoria Lebrun is designing through storytelling

At age five, the French designer knew she wanted to work either in fashion or as a spy. Ultimately, she chose the safer option. After high school, however, Lebrun went astray and started preparatory school with a focus on literature, science and fine arts. She only thought about moving to Antwerp when the school accepted her for a foundation year. “From the outside, Antwerp’s approach always appeared like an explosion of creativity. I was very excited to become a part of that.”

“I always research a story that will lead my work and process for each collection.” – Victoria Lebrun

Lebrun’s creations, which speak a vivid graphic language of geometric shapes and silhouettes, are undoubtedly one spark of the creative burst. “I always research a story that will lead my work and process for each collection,” she explains. “This year, I started with Caprice, a short film by Joanna Hogg.” The story follows a young woman who is swallowed by the pages of her favourite fashion magazine. The narrative reminds Lebrun of childhood memories when she cut out images from magazines in all shapes and sizes and hung them on her bedroom wall.

“I took inspiration from how Ann Truitt colour-blocks in her work and combined it with the minimalistic, geometric silhouettes.” – Victoria Lebrun

Colour plays an integral part in her creations, a signature style Lebrun built from when she was working with prints. So for her final collection, “CARRÉMENT!”, the designer also looked at the artworks of American sculptor Ann Truitt. “I took inspiration from how she colour-blocks in her work and combined it with the minimalistic, geometric silhouettes,” the graduate continues and admits that sourcing materials dictated by specific shades proved quite challenging. “The offer in Belgium is rather limited, so I called my friends in Paris and sent them to shops to check whether these had the exact fabric in the exact colour I needed. I spent months searching for a specific purple.”

Thinking back about her time at university, Lebrun is convinced she’ll never find so many talented people in the same place again. “It’s kind of weird, and you don’t realise it then. Particularly after our final show, when you see all the other collections, you’re amazed seeing how extraordinarily skilled everyone is.” Lebrun herself is not someone in need of selling herself short. After all, she is one of three students the Belgian brand Komono selected to design an eyewear collection. “It was one of my highlights of this year; it got me super motivated.”

“In university, we’re prepared to work a lot and under stress, be adaptable, autonomous, and apply a problem-solving mindset.” – Victoria Lebrun

Lebrun has spent the past five years in the safe bubble of university. Does she feel prepared to enter the vortex that is the fashion industry? No. But the skillset the academy sent her off with makes her feel fairly confident. “We’re prepared to work a lot and under stress, be adaptable, autonomous, and apply a problem-solving mindset,” she says. Additionally, Lebrun stresses how the master’s program is commercially-oriented and sets the students up with a persuasive portfolio.

“The cost-of-living crisis is getting worse and worse, and the government is doing nothing. People are super skilled and don’t get paid. Everything’s so saturated: too many collections, too many brands, and we’re losing the point.” – Victoria Lebrun

That being said, a school can only do so much. It cannot prepare for toxic environments, a cost-of-living crisis, and unfair wages. “It’s horrible,” Lebrun expresses. “The cost-of-living crisis is getting worse and worse, and the government is doing nothing. People are super skilled and don’t get paid. Everything’s so saturated: too many collections, too many brands, and we’re losing the point.” Looking at the state of the industry, how do young talents navigate the many negative sentiments around bigger fashion houses when applying for jobs? The answer, for Lebrun at least, is word-of-mouth. “Either I applied to companies I heard were nice workplaces, or I knew friends who worked there.”

In a few weeks, Victoria Lebrun will start her first internship at a French company in Paris. “Antwerp was an amazing experience, but you spend most of the time alone in your apartment creating designs. I look forward to working with a team and exploring what I’ve not experienced yet.” The young designer is determined to keep an open mind, shape her own opinions and discover what the fashion world holds for her. Put aside whatever is being said and heard: she’s excited. “I will try to keep the child in me alive who enjoyed her little dresses and magazines at six,” Lebrun smiles. “It’s definitely my biggest strength, to stay enthusiastic in all conditions. I’m always like, we’re crying today, but tomorrow we’ll be fine.”