Rouge

(© Saskia Vanderstichele)

Hidden away amid all the restaurants behind the Grote Markt/Grand-Place, Rouge is a shop entirely dedicated to the camouflage print. If you love all things khaki and brown, this is the place for you. At first glance, the shop comes across as a US army store, with military trousers and bomber jackets. Good news for those looking for army apparel, as last October the famous Liquidoma stock américain (in Bogaardenstraat/rue des Bogards) closed its doors. But there’s a lot more to discover. Owner Gigi Loubath wants to make the camouflage print a real lifestyle phenomenon, because he believes it goes with everything. With so many fashion labels on the high streets and in boutiques using these prints, why not open a shop with nothing but camouflage prints? And that’s exactly what he did with his brand new camouflage concept store, called Rouge. The shop is quite small, but that hasn’t stopped Gigi stocking a large range of items. He searches all over the Internet to find the best items. From a baby bodysuit to a coffee mug, a T-shirt to a wallet, a backpack to a dog suit, and all of the aforementioned in camouflage print, of course. Besides the obvious army pants, the most unexpected thing in the shop must be the rolls of wall paper. We don’t know how you feel about a camouflage wall, but we think it’s got great potential for spicing up your interior. If you like the print, but would like to incorporate it a tad more subtly, a camouflage mouse mat, boxer shorts, socks, or pair of braces might be what you need. To turn camouflage print into a real fashion item, Gigi has some of the clothes in his shop custom made. To a casual black blazer, he adds some camouflage pockets, for instance. And should you need some inspiration when it comes to wearing camouflage prints: Gigi combines his camouflage trousers with a checked shirt and sneakers.

Rouge ●●
Spoormakersstraat 53 rue des Éperonniers, 02-523.61.03, www.rougebrussels.be
ma/lu/Mo > za/sa/Sa 13 > 18.00