Brothers Steven and Ruben share a long history together and look set to have a long future together. "The greatest strength of our collaboration is that we're so different, yet on the same wavelength," says Ruben. "As a child, I never imagined we'd continue our parents' business together. And yet, it feels natural. Our family home was adjacent to the studio, so we always saw our parents during the school holidays, even though they were working, from morning to night. We also often played in the studio. So we literally grew up surrounded by fabrics. When we were toddlers, clients' fashion shows were held at our house, in the living room. The models changed in the kitchen. The kitchen table was pushed aside, and Steven and I sat underneath it, in our pajamas, under a blanket." 
And yes, every now and then we dared to peek under the mannequins (the brothers exchange mischievous glances). As teenagers, we regularly helped out in the business whenever we could, but our parents never pushed us to join the business. We were raised with the idea that you have to work if you want to get anywhere in life. When we were 15, we worked as student workers in the hospitality industry. We worked and saved for our first moped ourselves. Our parents could afford to spoil us financially, but they wanted to teach us that you have to put in the effort yourself if you want something. These are precious values they instilled in us, and which we now pass on to our children. After studying marketing, I worked at another company for a few years before moving to my parents' company. It was an interesting experience to work for a boss and grow within a company. When I joined my parents' company, I initially focused primarily on exports. “I am now responsible for the logistics, financial and commercial aspects.”
Ruben and Steven with mother Paula
Steven quickly became involved in the business. "I had just finished high school and gotten my driver's license when I was 18. During the holidays, I helped my parents out, from delivering orders to setting up stands at trade fairs. Without even realizing it, the next season was already approaching. We needed someone for sales in the Netherlands, and I filled that vacancy; Wallonia followed later. Had I known beforehand that I would eventually join the company, I might have studied fashion. At a certain point, I felt the need to brush up on my business knowledge. Ruben and I enrolled in a two-year program at Vlerick in 2008. That was an eye-opener for us. We learned to think differently there. Like the idea that you shouldn't just work in your business, but also on it.
Sometimes you have to take the time to look at things from a distance. And leave tasks you're not as skilled in to specialists, without losing sight of the bigger picture.
In the long term, we want to be able to minimize our operational responsibilities and give our people more responsibility. This is already happening to some extent. It's good when people can flourish within a company."
2012: a pivotal moment
In 2012, Steven and Ruben took over from their parents. A milestone in the history of Marie Méro.
Steven: "The generational change coincided with the launch of the 2012 winter collection. However, this transitional collection completely failed. The main reason was that we tried to accommodate too many opinions. Mom had stepped down as head of styling, but she still had an influence on the collection. Due to the diversity of our customers, their feedback was very varied. The result was a collection that was anything but coherent and a commercial flop. That was very confronting, but we drew our conclusions. The most important lesson was that we had to stay true to our identity and maintain an overview of the collection. At that point, I started focusing on the creative side. I've always had a feel for fashion and design. I also design our boutiques together with our architect. It's important that the atmosphere of our boutiques is imbued with the DNA of our brand. Nancy and I work closely together on the design of the collection. I love visiting fabric fairs abroad and window shopping in Paris, Milan, and London. I regularly go to exhibitions with friends, but I get my inspiration I also enjoy traveling. I recently visited Yves Saint Laurent's Majorelle Garden in Marrakech, a beautiful place with fantastic colors.
Each theme within the collection is built on a color palette. We always choose colors that align with our DNA and our audience. We incorporate "difficult" trend colors into accents. We ensure balance within the collection. Sometimes we catch ourselves being too rational about building a collection. We carry a wealth of past experiences that teach us what works and what doesn't. Sometimes it's about forgetting this knowledge and following your creative intuition. We see this paying off: the more special pieces sell very well in our own stores. Our stores are an ideal touchstone: we immediately know what resonates with the end consumer and how far we can push our creativity. For example, last year we did three window display "takeovers" with three influencers who mixed our themes, creating a new look with the existing collection. It was a fresh perspective that appealed to a younger audience. Proof that our collection can reach all generations. We continue to innovate. We are ready for the next level.
More Marie Méro boutiques in the Benelux
Even during the lockdown, Marie Méro has not been idle.
Ruben: "During the coronavirus crisis, we opened three stores. That decision was made before the pandemic hit, but we kept the plans going. Currently, we sell through four channels: the multi-brand store, our own stores, the Inno Corners, and the webshop. In January 2020, we updated our website, just in time for the coronavirus crisis, which accelerated online sales. While it obviously couldn't compensate for the drop in sales due to store closures, we were able to do some damage control."
Our own stores will become even more important in the future, especially in cities where there are no multi-brand stores and where our visibility on the high street depends on our own stores. We want to work more in-depth with existing customers in the future, for example, with Marie Méro corners in the larger boutiques. Before we expand further, we want to ensure that all our stores are operating optimally again, and then we'll shift up a gear. We want to grow healthily, and every investment is carefully considered. We are ambitious, but not reckless.
July 2020: opening of the Marie Méro concept store in Huidevettersstraat in Antwerp