Antwerp shoe boutique Coccodrillo to close
The end of an era. Internationally renowned Antwerp shoe boutique Coccodrillo announces the permanent closing of its store operations after 36 years.
Co-founder Geert Bruloot: “Fashion has been in a state of flux due to overproduction and radically different luxury consumption patterns during recent years. Fuelled by a year-round discount and sales culture, consumers have shifted their attention to new priorities like art and leisure which ultimately impacted the viability of our multi-brand boutique. We’ll miss Coccodrillo greatly, but we have decided to move on and look very much forward to new ventures in and beyond the world of creativity.”
Founded in 1983 by partners Geert Bruloot and Eddy Michiels, Coccodrillo has been the singular destination in the heart of Antwerp for footwear connoisseurs and shoe aficionados globally. The store was widely known for its almost prophetic eye for upcoming talent and the highest grade in creativity. Since opening their first Schuttershofstraat boutique, Coccodrillo has been a pioneer of contemporary footwear. Inseparably linked with the fashion capital of Antwerp, Bruloot and Michiels have been lauded throughout their career for propelling an all-encompassing mix of classic and boundary-pushing design, rooted in above-and-beyond quality and service.
From the start, Coccodrillo has hosted and launched both Belgian and international icons and niche newcomers. Soon after opening the store with partner Eddy Michiels, Bruloot rallied and raised the profile of a group of young designers, who would later be immortalised as the ‘Antwerp Six’. Martin Margiela was also one of the first designers championed by the boutique, proof of the founders’ instincts and willingness to take a chance on a rookie with raw talent. Their eye for potential later led Michiels and Bruloot to boost the profile of a young Raf Simons, the WeberHodelFeder team and more recently Mats Rombaut of ROMBAUT. Given their eye and passion for new talent, it was hardly a surprise when the Coccodrillo duo decided to deepen their support for the biggest wellspring of Antwerp talent: the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp Fashion Department. Since 1998, they have offered the annual Coccodrillo Award for the best shoe design to promising young designers for creativity and craftsmanship in footwear design. Laureates include Demna Gvasalia and also Shone Puipia, who has since co-founded cult footwear label Adult. Antwerp. The world’s leading luxury brands such as Prada, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Sergio Rossi, Chloé, Dries Van Noten and Church’s also found a home or even a second wind at the store. Coccodrillo pushed the revival of heritage houses Lanvin, Gucci and Balmain and hand-picked exclusive designs from now top-billing names like Nicholas Kirkwood, Simone Rocha, Tabitha Simmons and Jacquemus for its beloved window displays.
2010 saw the opening of the first Coccodrillo standalone men’s shoe boutique, conceptualized by top interior designer Gert Voorjans in a 1930s art deco style. Being key collaborators of MoMu Fashion Museum Antwerp, Bruloot and Michiels also donated a sizeable collection of designer hats and shoes to the museum – many of which were on display in the 2016 ‘Footprint’ exhibition, co-curated by Geert Bruloot. Sensing a pertinent change within fashion and retail, Coccodrillo turned a major corner in 2017 by moving intoa majestic 250 square-metre flagship store in the Arenbergstraat, designed by Glenn Sestig. However, ongoing roadworks and infrastructure developments challenged the reachability of the store. Combined with the big changes in fashion and retail, the full potential of this new project was impacted.
Bruloot concludes: “We’ve always been in the business of creativity and ultimately it’s all about the young talent and amazing people behind the designs, not just the products in a store. We’re eager to expand our horizons and are already working on next steps beyond fashion to art, design, multimedia and all-round creative ways of living.”