Ann Demeulemeester x Serax

It's been a long time since the set table took centre stage. Exhibitions are being built, blogs written and column metres written on the subject and inspiring table settings seem to attract a new and younger generation. However, gathering around food experiences and serving guests a complete package - setting the table with a complete set of dishes, choosing the right glasses for the meal's drinks, arranging decorations, napkins and flowers - has never gone out of style.

However, the major porcelain manufacturers have not kept up with the high demand for expressive tableware products. But Belgium's Serax is no ordinary producer. Together with Ann Demeulemeester - one of the most prominent avant-garde fashion designers - they have developed a tableware set, complete with an accompanying glass collection and a set of modern cutlery.

It's all very high-end and the collaboration has been appreciated by Michelin-starred restaurants and individuals alike.

Red Wine Glass Billie Transparent

Serax

Glass Billie Transparent 30 cl

Serax

Dessert Fork Zoë Matt

Serax

Coffee Spoon Zoë Matt

Serax

The start of something new

It all started during a dinner in the small Belgian town of Kessel, where the designer settled after leaving the fashion world. Her former eponymous clothing label was now living on under the auspices of others after Demeulemeester went to the press to announce her definitive departure from the fashion industry in 2013.

Instead of fashion, her interest had turned to utilitarian objects and over the next few years she attended porcelain master classes in both France and England, learnt glazing techniques and bought a dedicated kiln to make porcelain on her own.

In 1986 she joined forces with five fellow students from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and together they travelled to London Fashion Week to show the collections to the press. The collective was placed on the fringes of the official fashion arena and the fact that they were outside the popular shows is said to have influenced the reporting of the shows and the mythologising of the group as underground.

Following the group's success, Demeulemeester launched his clothing collection in 1985, which was influenced by punk and rock music as well as gothic and romantic poetry. As one of the first designers to make such cultural references, her vision paved the way for designers like Rick Owens and Raf Simons.

Cup Dé White/Black Var B

Serax

Cup Dé White/Black Var C

Serax

On this particular evening, she had set the table with her handmade porcelain and one of the guests was so taken with the collection that she offered to introduce the designer to Axel Van Den Bossche, who founded Serax with his brother Serge in 1986.
The result was Ann Demeulemeester x Serax. A collection that consists not only of porcelain but also glass in hand-blown, lead-free crystal and stainless steel cutlery that is hand-faceted and has a matte finish.

Serax is a Belgian design brand that, like fashion brand Ann Demeulemeester, is based in the city of Antwerp. The Van Den Bossche brothers started Serax in a garage in 1986 and since then the small-scale operation has grown into a multinational company.

A Belgian rebel

Ann Demeulemeester was one of the leading figures of 80s and 90s fashion, at least if we're talking about avant-garde fashion. With draped garments and cuts that took into account both the body and conceptual artistry, she designed collections that were both radical and appreciated by high fashion buyers.

In 1986, she joined forces with five fellow students from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and together they traveled to London Fashion Week to showcase the collections to the press. The collective was placed on the fringes of the official fashion arena and their exclusion from the popular shows is said to have influenced the reporting of the shows and the mythology of the group as underground.

Following the group's success, Demeulemeester launched his clothing collection in 1985, which was influenced by punk and rock music as well as gothic and romantic poetry. As one of the first designers to make such cultural references, her vision paved the way for designers like Rick Owens and Raf Simons.

Chiaroscuro as a leitmotif

Demeulemeester became particularly famous in the French and Belgian fashion scene for working exclusively in black and white, and the sharp contrasts are still a hallmark. In an interview with Swedish fashion journalist Salka Hallström Bornold, she said:

– For me, black and white is the essence. [...] People often think that black is black and white is white, but that's not true. There are many kinds of black and so many kinds of white, a whole tonal range of emotions. [...] It's like comparing a black and white photo with a colour one - it makes me think that colour is decoration, and I don't need it.

Using this type of colour reduction and highlighting the spectrum of light and shadow is known in painting as chiaroscuro. A technique that contributes to the artistic height of her hand-painted porcelain for Serax.

NO-GA is one of the few selected retailers of Ann Demeulemeester x Serax.