I don’t actually know where to start. Maybe with a wow? Maybe with a what have I done to be able to launch my own brand from scratch at 22?

Well, let me break this down.

Since I was born, I’ve always known creating my own brand was meant to be for me. Now, the only thing I actually didn’t know—until four months ago—was the when behind all that.
When was I actually gonna get my shit together and start with the brand of my life?

And when I say get my shit together, I don’t actually wanna be rude, of course. But it is what I told myself at a certain point in this whole entrepreneurial experience because here’s a little secret: before that moment, for an entire semester, I was just so damn lost.

Nobody really knows what it means to be lost at a certain point in life. Right?
Me neither.
Until I actually reached that point.
And let me tell you, unless you get there, you cannot know what it’s like.

My whole life was planned in my head.
Bachelor’s in Fashion Technology? Check.
Two years living in Ghent? Done.
An exchange semester in Lucerne? Incredible.
Crossing the Atlantic for an internship in the company I had followed and admired for years? Insane.

Funny fact: I reached out to that company once. And one and a half years later, they replied.
“Are you still interested in the position?”
I hadn’t even applied for an actual open position—I just shot my shot, emailed them (plus a bunch of other emails from the company), and hoped for an answer.
I finally got one.

And the best part?
When I sent that email, I didn’t even know I’d need an internship for my last year of my bachelor’s. But you know, I had to try. It was the dream.

That semester in New York? Beyond words.
The most extraordinary, amazing, insane six months of my life.
And after that, I saved a bit of money and backpacked alone through California for three weeks before my visa expired.

It was as exciting as the life I had been living since.

And guess what? I made it. I survived.
There’s this quote:
“If you can make it in New York, you can survive anything, anywhere.”
Well, that’s what I thought.

After New York:

2024 – 2025 → One year in Madrid. Learning Spanish.
2025 – 2026 → One year in Paris, doing… God knows what. Something in fashion. But no clue what exactly.
2026 – 2027 → One year in Hong Kong.

Summers? → Volunteering. Somewhere.

…and I won’t reveal everything yet, because that wouldn’t be a surprise for my parents anymore.

(Also, my mum is definitely reading this right now, wondering if I really plan to study until I’m 60. I tell you what? That was the plan.)

I was addicted to going away. To discovering new places, people, cultures, languages.
It’s impossible for me not to do this anymore.
Once you start, you don’t wanna stop.

But there was just one problem.
I needed to get my feet back on earth.

At least, that’s what my parents told me.
“Madrid? Cool. But no purpose? No Madrid.”

At first, I didn’t really get why they were saying that. But now?
I do.

I’ll tell you what’s not possible.

What’s not possible is working my ass off for three years straight.
Day and night.

I can’t even count:
— How many application forms I’ve filled out.
— How many nights I stitched garments until 3 a.m. and loved it.
— How many times I went to school running on zero sleep to present a project in front of a jury.
— How many fucking 12-finals-per-semester periods I survived.
— How many times I sent out applications to brands I admired and got… nothing. Not even a rejection.
— How many schools rejected me because suddenly the partnership didn’t exist anymore.

That was my purpose.

So no. It was not possible for me to suddenly be in Madrid, dancing on tables till 5 a.m., speaking more French than Spanish (because—oops—I ended up making more Belgian friends), and not knowing what the fuck I was doing with my life.

That was not the plan.

One morning, I woke up and said: stop.

I didn’t want to live with the fear of not doing what I wanted.
I had too many ideas in my head. Too many things I wanted to do. And I wasn’t gonna sit around waiting for the perfect moment.

So I started getting my shit together.

Subscribed for a marathon (April 2025).
Passed my LVMH certificate.
And most importantly? I started writing.

Writing about what I thought. About how I was gonna make it. About a thousand questions—each with an answer.

And one of those answers was this:
"I’m 22. And I wanna start my own brand."

If I had known how exhausting, time-consuming, and completely insane it would be…
I’d do it all over again.

From getting all the legal and administrative shit done, to designing the logo, refining the vision, crafting the business plan, marketing strategy, financials, product development, setting up the socials—building an actual audience—while simultaneously learning all of it through my master’s in digital marketing (and passing all my finals).

It took months.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

And you know what? I’m proud of myself.

But this? This is just the beginning.

So, One More Thing:

One dream. 

Some t-shirts. Every once in a while.
Limited. Effortless. One-of-a-kind.
Come as you are. Leave legendary.

This is Hors du Commun.

Drop 01 is coming. You in?

And for those who read until here…

First of all—thank you.
Second—listen to me for a second.

If you have an idea, whatever it is, and you’re too afraid to start—
If you keep telling yourself:
"I’ll start later."
"I’ll do it tomorrow."
"I’ll start after the holidays."
"I can’t do it now because I’m enrolled in school."

STOP.

You know what? Start now.
Put it on paper. Just start.

Make time for it.
If you’re in school, do it when you get home.
If you have too many “social” activities planned, cancel them and focus.

Focus on that sheet of paper. That little scratch. Those first ideas.
Because otherwise, you’ll never do it. And you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.

Begin with something.
And you’ll see—once you start, there won’t be a single day that goes by without thinking about the insane things your brand—your project, your vision—will achieve. Like it does to me. 

You just need a dream and a little bit of patience.

Now go. Start.