EYES

“I'm a virgo, sign of the craft-people : I pay attention to details way too much, which can makes me be an annoying critical bitch” - her words, not ours.

Inspired by art-nouveau, Lior is wearing a double-rimmed matte gold frame by Castellani (Domegge, IT), which could not be a better match with what she’s been working on for the past ten years: the art of stained glass.

The Marolles is home to her workshop l’Athanor, where not only she restores already existing stained glass that’s maybe struggled to stand through the test of time, but she also creates her own pieces for orders. You might have seen her work spread around the city, such as the Tanneurs, Le Sterput or Holy Sunshine.

When we met her she was working on a seashell-inspired abstract dyptique which ended up being her proudest piece to this day. Check it out as well as her other glass works and illustrations on her website, or even pass by her workshop when you get the chance. It’s a pretty sight to see.

'Return to Sender', a project of letter-writing created by Maartje (right) is what led her to create one of her most meaningful connections with her close friend Robbe (left). Two years after their first exchange, here they were at our shop looking for each other’s Bidules.

Maartje wears a demi-amber Galaxie frame by C.I.O. that she describes as the perfect combination of nerdy-hot, and undeniably hers.

She bathes in the artistic field both as a studio assistant and as an artist and writer herself. She’s also one very quirky collector with a fascination for clown and jester paraphernalia. Imagine her finds and other eclectic oddities decorating the mantelpiece of her bedroom book nook… And if you get a chance to talk, pull out a notebook and ask about cooking, there’s some quite interesting tricks up her sleeve too!

Robbe wears a 1970’s acetate pilot frame by Grosfilley. As a now pilot-wearer, he’s been the victim of the infamous ‘Dahmer’ comment more than once, but he always takes it lightly. Except this one time when some drunk strangers at his workplace kept nagging him about it. So he eventually just watched them sloppily slip and fall over spilled beer, and got a few laughs himself. Karma?

He’s also passionated by art, music and DJs with friends. Maybe you’d want to check out his set at Cité du Dragon with Tobin. Just like Maartje, there’s a few strange little objects he likes to hold on to. And not to forget, he’s super into : “Birds. wow.”.

'Wake up early, then take your time.'' People's days change, you know, day by day they do. So do mine.'
Wise words, Robbe.

Gabriel is a law student with a strong penchant for contemporary art, which goes in perfect contrast with his 1960’s ‘Anna’ combinated gold-filled frame with an amber-brown brow by L’AMY (Morez, Jura, FR). He’s been wearing glasses since the age of 1, so we’re pretty sure this isn’t his first frame, but he says it is the first time he can see his eyebrows while wearing them. ‘It was a very nice surprise’.

adjustable nosepads + right bridge size = brows
CQFD

He’s a city wanderer with a pretty thorough routine going all around the city center with plenty of gallery stops along the way. We thought sharing his favorite itinerary could be nice, should we organize a group trip?

• MOK coffee
• MAD
• Stems gallery
• Meessen gallery
• Almine Rech gallery
• Wiels
  🏃‍♂️ No transportation planned here, so get hydrated and put some comfy shoes on. You can pop by the shop for a quick adjustment and a water bottle refill, it’s on the way.

Michael wears 2 very different pairs from Oyonnax (Ain, FR).

He is the lucky owner of a rare 8mm shaped 3-rivets acetate from the 1960s found in the middle of our SOLO/Grosfilley stock. The day he met Tom for a portrait he was rocking his more-casual-still-formal round Grasset from the early 1990s tho.

Michael is a specialist technician at the theatre where he does light design. He is passionate about incorporating renewable materials into his work. It’s always refreshing for us to run into people in completely different fields who are applying the same principles that we do at Bidules. Cheers Michael!

Barista and dance lover, Noa learnt how to make great coffee whilst travelling. She spent a year in New Zealand, where she met a wonderful bunch of people - artists, musicians, and dancers. Now based in Brussels, she often rides her bike past the store, and loves the concept of salvaging frames and wearing well-designed glasses with a story to tell, like these mod.217 from Castellani, 1990s. She’s a collector like us, and likes nothing better than sifting through flea markets or shops to see what she can find. 

In normal times, you’re sure to spot her drinking cocktails at "Lib cocktail bar" in Brussels, she's in awe of the passion they have for flavors and fine-tuning. 

Well, when you buy the ENTIRE dead-stock from a closed down factory, inevitably, you discover many of the same frames, but also some rarer pieces. Amongst the estimated 6,000 frames we brought back from Dommege that day, there only happened to be a handful of these bi-color FOCA 8091 from the early days of production circa 1960s. We couldn’t let them go to just anyone. They had to be the perfect fit. And that’s where Oxfam fundraiser Markus comes into this. Living in Brussels, he’s not much of a collector, but he loves second-hand things. He’s worn glasses since he was fourteen, but his daughter-in-law -who once remarked he looked ‘cool’ in Ray Bans- thought he should check out Bidules for his next pair. We think FOCAs fit him much better. You’ll find Markus at Caberdouche, Place de la Liberté, with a craft beer, or more than likely, just chilling in his garden in Saint-Josse.

Hey, we think many good things come in pairs. Here's a nice one: Marjolein and Wessel. They came by the shop recently to pick out new frames. They are both working as researchers, so one could say they "collect knowledge". Wessel's favorite reaction to his glasses so far was when a friend told him he looks like his mom [aww]. And Marjolien loves her glasses because she feels like her grandmother would have worn them [double aww!]. Timelessness is something we cherish a lot at Bidules. Wessels wears a Castellani 217 (1990s, Italy) and Marjolein the Lizon 205 (1980s, France).

It only took us 5 minutes to know we shared at least 3 things with Cedric (1992, Abidjan) : our unconditional love for digging, a connexion with Shungu and a irrepressible excitement when our eyes meet a pair of titanium Bugatti frames produced by ODO (Jura, FR) in the early 2000s. Most known under the guise of African Diplomat, this Brussels based record collector and radio host at Bruzz Radio immediately fell in love with these shading lenses and sharp lines. Fair enough.

Frederik is often told that he looks like celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal since he started wearing his SELECTA Easy Riders. He's also been asked if his glasses are just for show, but we know the truth: they're prescription with custom 8-base curve lenses. Glasses that turn heads and make waves – we're here for it! As a speculative and material designer, he has a strong fascination for the endlessly-evolving world around us as he works to explore new technology and model how the future might look.

Thanida wears a transparent mod. Capucine by Grasset made in the 1970s (Oyonnax, FR) back in the days when GRASSET was still Maurice Grasset.

Thanida is an office manager and architecture student living in Ixelles. She chose this model and we manually reheated and reshaped the frames in the lab to her liking. When she's out and about, you can find her at Monticelli, a family-owned Italian deli in St. Gilles, or going for a walk with her cat at L'abbaye de la Cambre.

For Brussels-based Ghanaian-Belgian musician and artist Esinam, music has been part of her life for a very long time. The passion, the learning, the hours of practice and the art of listening were there from the very beginning. An obsession that eventually led to her creating her own musical world.

She stopped by Bidules on her way downtown, choosing these 1960s cat-eye Fidela frames.

You'll often find her running in Parc Josaphat - whatever the season - or picking up frites at Fritkot Place in Saint-Josse (perhaps the best in the city?). It's all about balance.

Check out her Twilights of Infinity her new album and stream it loud!

Wendy wears an unmarked demi-amber from our SOLO/Grosfilley stock we brought from Oyonnax (Ain) in 2020. Although its teardrop shape kind of has a 1980's vibe to it when the frame is worn low like that, its 3-rivet hinges and 'coque' shape make us think it has been made in the 60's or early 70's. Nice twist!

On collecting: she loves La Place du Jeu de Balle in the Marolles to collect what has been invading her apartment for a few years now: BOCH dishware. Especially the 'pastel' kind, made between 1955 and 1970.

After her porcelain digging sesh, a quick coffee at Le Chaff or the Libraire Météores is on the list. But as soon as Septembercomes and the leaves start to fall, it's the terrasse of the library Ici sont les lions that has her heart.

'L'utopie c'est d'être au travail' - a quote that translates her daily life working as co-director at the famously creative and collective ERG school in Brussels.

A collector by nature, he used to dig a lot for vinyl records, but now he's focused on Yugoslav art and poetry books. We caught him before he was heading out to see 'Madrigalen' by Benjamin Abel Meiraeghe, a delicate dance performance, with music by Doon Kanda. When he's not building a scenography or at an exhibition, you can find him chilling in Parc Tenbosch with a Turkish plate from Lézzet.

Laura has worn glasses since she was a teenager, though she once lost her glasses on a trip and ended up not wearing any for the last five years. These Aeroline were a gift from her boyfriend - they popped into Bidules after lunch with friends - 'lucky they were there - it would have taken me 5 days to choose'. Given the result and the chat we had, we are the ones feeling lucky. You might find Laura sipping a craft beer at Dekkara or on a stroll at the Wiels marsh.

Laura divides her time between audio-visual projects and awareness campaigns for social and environmental issues. The day after the first lockdown in 2020, the member of the 254forest creative collective also created "Isola", a project that takes you on a journey into invisible worlds. We warmly recommend to check out the second and latest episode called SOMOS. A beautiful visual podcast created in collaboration with Transkids and Lydie Nesvadba that gives voice to 13 trans, non-binary, or gender creative youngsters aged nine to twenty-seven who are deconstructing standards and affirming their identities.

For those into fashion design, you’ve probably already heard of the infamous Maison Martin Margiela down in the quartier de créateurs of Dansaert. After closing down permanently in 2019, there was a soul left in it that Stéphane (Brussels b. 1967) was particularly sensitive to, which led him to take over the house during lockdown and turn into quite a bookshop.
He curates mostly art books, rare photography and fashion catalogs. With a strong emphasis on transmission and tradition, the Saint Martin Bookshop also pays honor to its predecessors as well as to other artists with some historical pieces carefully stored inside a smaller section, L’Ombre. 'It is our homage to the books we love and the stuff we cherish, with a twist of Boltanski, a bit of Gainsbourg, the spirit of Shiva and the soul of Margiela'.

Paying honor, that’s something we can relate to with special frames… Some even too special to be sold. We took this reddish 1940’s 8mm celluloïd (Morez, FR) upstairs for restoration and Stéphane instantly spotted them. We struggled to let it go but so did he. The guy has an eye for precious things. No regrets, what a fit both esthetically and spiritually.

This summer, she came to us ready to ditch her contact lenses for good in favor of the right pair of frames. Now she wears the transparent mod. Annecy by Grasset, from Oyonnax circa 1990 – so light, almost seamless. 

She works as an architect and likes to collect books, her favorite subject being the charming and wacky city of Brussels itself. 

So, what's her local Brussels tip? The massive, romantic-yet-fear-inducing works in the Wiertz Museum. We did some research into Wiertz after our conversation with Kaat. Wikipedia states: "Some of his works are erotic and macabre and presage Belgian Symbolism..." and "At his request, his remains were embalmed in accordance with Ancient Egyptian burial rites..." Sounds like another Belgian character for the books... 

Marjolein is a collector, a self-confessed addict to vintage handbags and jewellery, wearing glasses since she was eight.

Recently graduated in environmental technologies, she got her Bugatti 201 as a graduation gift from her Mom. We don't mean to brag, but they fit like a glove, don't they? Say hi to your mom Marjolein, this kind of special time with you two at the store is what gets us out of bed every morning!

Like any self-respecting Saint-Gilles dweller, in normal times, you'd be sure to bump into Léa (1994, Saint-Germain en Laye) at Le Flora . She first heard of Bidules on game night, whilst cheering for Royal Union Saint-Gilloise - oh, how we miss those nights with friends and chance encounters.

The first pair of frames she chose from the store were the Bourgeois 2045 (1990s, Morbier), which she lost, coming back to pick up two more pairs - in prescription and sunnies. As here with her L’Amy (1980s, Morez).

Ow, since we are here, any chance you've spotted this custom bike around town? We heard it's also gone missing. Help a girl out.

With an antiques seller as a mom, Barabara has been bathing in second-hand and vintage since day one. it’s no wonder this fellow digger stumbled upon our glasses: she’s wearing a 2000s brown metal frame originally meant to be sport sunglasses by the French Jurassian brand CEBE.

Apart from studying for her bachelor in Psychology, she and two of her close friends also just opened their very own shop last October, called La Supérette in which they curate and sell second-hand clothing, furniture and other nic nacs in the sunny Rue du Fort in St-Gilles.

Zoe and Naser, are both collectors in their own way. Self-confessed hoarder Zoe used to love going to summer flea markets with her mum when she was young, and since she now works as a set decorator and prop buyer, she can get paid for her finds.

Naser adds some minimalism to their partnership. He likes living with as little as possible, but as a photographer he loves to pick up various different cameras to experiment with. For Zoe’s latest project,  where she curates and sells ‘wonky’ second-hand clothing, his clean photography helps soften the chaos.

You’ll find them in Parc Josaphat, for its magical trees and perfectly constructed romanticism...

Software Developer Josse (1994, Leuven) has a passion for fashion - and living in Brussels, he swears by the ‘hipster holy trinity’ - Cinematek for movies, the Brasserie Verschueren
for drinks and of course, the flea market at Jeu de Balles. It’s a goldmine. You’ll find him obsessively on the lookout for garments of the past - from wide 70s graphic ties, to even wider flared trousers and kitschy cufflinks. He’s taking a sewing course, hoping to do more tailoring, and is super proud of the outrageously wide, seventies-inspired ‘Northern Soul’ trousers he made.

Having always been a little embarrassed of his glasses when he was younger, he now sees his OWP as a major privilege to have an extra accessory. Though it’s not always so convenient - once, his glasses fell off in the middle of a crowded dance floor, and facing the choice of either spending the rest of the night as a blind man or grabbing them back from the floor as fast as he possibly could - which is quite a challenge when deprived of your eyesight - Josse chose of course the latter.

Hugo (1993, Beauvais) first came to us wanting some glasses that were less noticeable and smaller than the ones he had. Ok then.

After a few discussions (where we attentively watched our tongues), we eventually introduced the speech therapist to these light Kinto 2000 made in Belgium in the early... 2000s.
Luckily for us he didn't need any more words - as soon as he put them on it was a perfect match.

Later, he confessed to us that these glasses are actually so discreet that often he can’t find them. Not guilty!

David (1988, San Antonio, TX), is an artist based in Brussels and Amsterdam. From saunas inside a Fiat Multipla, to air filtering NASA plants, his installations combine performance, sculpture and writing, telling stories through objects.

He spent a lot of time talking with us at the shop, he was curious, we were curious, you know how it goes. With that hat, we knew we needed to find him something a little bit different, and a little bit sassy - like these transparent pink acetate pantos from the 1950s (Jura, FR).

Later, he told us he'd made a sculpture to hold his glasses whilst he sleeps. We've never seen it, but we love his fanaticism for small objects, of course

Julien takes his glasses very seriously - like these Opaline 5046s, made by our homies at Netoptic (Lot - BE) in the 1980s. The illustrator discovered Bidules on his way downtown to pick up art supplies downtown.

Despite living in Elsene for almost a decade, there’s still something about his old neighborhood’s football team RWDM that moves him. Just like us, he loves to geek out - but instead of frames, for him it’s collecting memorabilia and vintage football shirts.

When the restrictions relax, you’re sure to find him in Sint-Gillis, at Nuovo Brussels , his favourite italian restaurant or at Le Dillens . Oh, and his friends built a brewery together - so you’ll also find him at their bar for top notch craft beer at L'Ermitage.  

Giorgia is the coordinator of Belgium is Design, a program that focuses on promoting Belgian design abroad.

She’s wearing black acetate 70’s frames from New-York imported SELECTA, manufactured in France. Tom and her met at Place de la Liberté, the light was hitting just right that day over there, but as a Tenodoise (a.k.a from St-Josse for the outsiders) her top spot for a good capuccino is l'Espresso, rue Rue de Bériot. We say yes to that statement and might we also add that their arancinis are a hit!

We're putting the spotlight here on our neighbor, Café Boudin. Founder and owner Alice is wearing the FOCA PP15.

When she's not at the café whipping up oat lattes and vegan banh mì, she's into crocheting, fermenting all sorts of foods, and collecting coffee bean packaging from around the world.

Café Boudin specializes in ethically sourced specialty coffee and homemade vegan treats. We were delighted when they opened just a few doors away on Rue Ravenstein because we don't have so many healthy options available nearby. We've consumed kilos of cookies and liters of kombucha from them ever since.

Alice's take on a perfect Brussels afternoon:

"Café Boudin and Bidules are located a few meters away, so I think a perfect afternoon would consist of: having a delicious coffee at Boudin, trying on new glasses at Bidules, and going to see an exhibition at Bozar. We have a nice 'B' thing going on over here!"

Co-owner of Chez Richard on Place du Sablon, Fanny (1990, Uccle) discovered Bidules through a foodie friend (Chez Franz we see you!).

She’s worn glasses since she was ten, and finds it amazing that friends she sees everyday often don’t recognise her without her frames on! Funnily enough, she loves it when people say they prefer her with glasses. So do we, so do we.

When she’s not at the restaurant, during the warn days, you’ll find Fanny taking a nap or having a picnic in Tenbosh Park in the sun. If you see her around, remind her to take good care of her bicolor 1990s L'Amy (Morez) and that we can't wait to hit the terrasse again.

Masked, we advance.

Mexico-born, Belgium-based Emmanuel is an artist, tailor, and sculptor who fashions intricate masks that question the spectacle of perfection and how we perform the social norms imposed on us.

Glasses can be seen as a sort of mask. Sometimes, people might want to 'hide' behind their glasses. But with the right pair and right fit, glasses can also connect us to something authentic within. We think this pair (Jacques Fath, Oyonnax - 1970s) has managed to do that.

We found 5 pairs, but they've all been claimed by beautiful new faces. By the way, these are the thickest acetate frames we've ever seen: 15mm on top!

Chef, winemaker and anti-sulphite dealer, Jules (1989, Burgundy) is sustainable af. He’s currently studying self-sufficiency in farming and winemaking, and last time we met he could'nt help speaking about his friends at Usages Vtmnts, creating unisex local ethic handcrafted clothes.

He’s been wearing glasses since he was a kid, but his last frames met a grisly end. On a three-day hike, he crouched down to admire a flower and had so much suncream on that his glasses slid off his nose, and he ended up crushing them with his giant walking boots. There were still two days left of the hike, so he had no chance of enjoying the views...

Jules is always on the lookout for cool humans and (food-related) deep conversations, so we’re sure you’d get on just fine. 

If you don't recognise Aisha (1992, Montréal) from her name, maybe her face rings a bell. If not, wait to hear her endearing accent or one of her sets. You got it. She's the one who was behind the deck for our 1 year anniversary party - better known as Gayance.

She's heavily involved in the music scene from Canada to Belgium, whilst embracing her power as a Black woman, working hard to empower others on the fight against injustice and misogynoir.

She came to us looking for glasses that would match her flamboyant personality, "but, y'know, also glasses to help me check out cute dudes from a distance without having to squint". Better be warned.

Let us introduce you to Maarten (1984, Aalst), one of the pillars of Rotor DC , a Brussels-based non-profit firm engaged in promoting and facilitating the reuse of building components as a strategy on the path towards a more resource-efficient materials economy. No surprise then that most of our shop furnitures are Rotor productions. Did you know the partition walls we use as glasses displays previously stood in a meeting room of the mythic De Ligne building designed by Marcel Lambrichs in 1971 ? Now you do (check our Instagram for pictures). When Maarten finally showed up to match his glasses with his convictions, we let him go with a pair of 1970s Welt Pantos, originally handcrafter crafted by Castellani in Domegge Di Cadore (IT). The upcycling circle finally went full.

For our next portrait in the EYES series, say hi to Clara. She wears the butterfly-ish Victory 6 (USA, 1960s). We don’t know the brand or model, we found them with Ets. Grosfilley / SOLO stock – they could have been manufactured by them, or kept by them as an inspiration εїз

Clara co-organizes the LGBTQIAP+ film festival Pink Screens , which she describes as a place of encounter and fun. She feels proud to be able to offer this moment of visibility to the queer community!

She says she doesn’t collect, she accumulates. Sneakers, watches, bags, beautiful books, tattoos. Who can relate?

Clara, on her pair of frames:

“I wanted very original glasses. I wanted them to be a real accessory, a beautiful object that would set me apart. I tried on a lot of pairs, and they were all too small for my face. Eventually Bidules suggested this amazing pair. I think they are super huge for my face but I had a crush… Two days later they were on my nose!”

Ok, ok...Jean-Pierre (Uccle, 1956) may look a bit stern in this portrait. But you know what they say, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

The management consultant told us that the personal project he's most proud of is raising his two (now adult) children. And, he even confessed that the main mission for his rust-colored 1950s reading glasses would be to lead his eyes down the delicious path of a fancy restaurant's wine list.

That makes him way more friendly, doesn't it? Let's hope he's able to treat his frames to a trip out to a restaurant soon.

You’ll have to forgive Nora (1992, Strasbourg) for her hatred of glasses as a teen. Well, to be fair, they didn’t quite work with her ‘look’ of greasy hair and braces, and were a little too encouraged by her parents to ever be cool... She came to us seeking a pair of frames a little less like her father’s, and luckily, these days she doesn’t have to ditch them around the corner from her parent’s house anymore. Now she wears her own oval Fidela frames (Morez, late 90s)A fashion design student at La Cambre, she uses style to challenge the contradictions of her personality, balancing religion, female liberation and her Kurdish heritage. As an artist, she embraces the community, and loves to see her friends live out their passions to the full, so she’s given a few to follow : Lucie Vanesse, who opened Madeleine Couture her sewing school in Forest whilst studying her Masters in Art ; Juliette Fuhs architect and scenographer at the environmentally responsible at Atelier Craft in Paris, a creative practice that revolves around art, architecture and design ; Anna Diallo in Berlin who released her first EP Femme Alpha under her artist name Seleminga. Then make sur to check out Hug The Rug, Nora’s 2020 collection.

After graduating from art school, Benedicte (1990, Rossem) upped sticks to London, carving out her career in fashion publishing. She loves Brussels for its international vibe and the anonymity it brings, and she's now Head of Design at IndianDribble , a creative branding and marketing agency.

Since her whole family inherited pretty 'shitty eyesight' (her words not ours) they're all blessed with multiple pairs of Bidules. The first time she met us she liked our 'no-bullshit attitude' (her words not ours) so much that she left with two pairs. Oh, and she's since picked up another.

We don't love hearing how your last frames met their fateful end, though hers is quite a story - she got caught up in a busy street during a riot in town, and the glasses in her pocket were lost forever. Ouch. It's stories like these that make us realise that we really should've collected up all of the crazy tales we've heard over the years for a cartoon by now.

On this one Benedicte is wearing her FIDELA Laser (1990s, FR)

Don't be fooled. Behind that casual attitude and her KINTO 8011 frames (80s, Belgium) hides a power woman. Victoria is the co-founder of the Canada-Mathare Education Trust (CMETrust), an entirely volunteer-run charity. Back in 2005, this now marine biologist Pew travelled to Nairobi, Kenya for an internship at the United Nations Environment Programme headquarters. She began volunteering in a primary school in Mathare. When she returned to Canada, she asked herself what she could do to continue supporting Mathare’s youth and help them facing the many issues related to poverty and lack of education. After some discussions and reflections, CMETrust was born, providing secondary school scholarships for Kenyan youth since 13 years.

Victoria now runs the business from Belgium and is simultaneously engaged in another battle : trying to raise empathetic, resilient kids. We already met her 6 years-old girl, while she joined her mother for the Nutcracker ballet at BOZAR. All we can say is that she's on the right track to become as strong as her mom.

Francois is one of the founders of hushrush, a bike messengers company. It’s all about smart, passionate people who truly know and love Brussels by heart.

François is a glasses rookie, but broke countless sunglasses in bike crashes. No surprise he once entered our store when he was on the road, somewhere between a pick up and a drop off. One day, you’ll probably run into him during on the streets or bicycle path. If you’re lucky though, because this guy is faster than light.

When he first swang by the store, Dries was heading home after a lunch at the BOZAR restaurant. In all honesty, besides his activities for l’Escritoire, it seems like Dries is heading in or out of a restaurant every time we meet. You should hear him talk about wine and deli meats to understand that the guy doesn’t consider the art of the table as laughing matter.

By the way, if you’re ever in the Upper Meuse Valley, go have a drink at the Cerf Vert, the bar he opened on the Dinant Riviera. 

Marine told us she is used to lose her glasses while dancing in clubs. The thing is that it didn’t happen one time, but three. Each time, she groped in the dark and found the pair back, still in one piece. If you've ever experienced such situation (and you did, didn't you ?) you must know that this girl has luck.⁣

When the graphic designer came to find her new partner in crime, she finally left the shop with our beloved palladium filled Bourgeois. We secretly hope she will love them as much we do to prevent this pair from hitting the dancefloor once again.

Stefano is our neighbor, but he’s also the executive chef of the VICTOR Bozar Café. We’re now used to see him come by the shop several times a week during his break, to tell us a story or try on a few pairs of glasses.

One day, he asked us to slow him down on his cravings for glasses, so we asked him to slow us down on our cravings for Orechiette alla Norma. A healthy, neighbourly relationship all in all.

This illustrator from Tournai may well have been born on the day the Japan Airlines Flight 123 to Osaka crashed, but that’s not the point. ⁣When we met again with Robin for his portrait, he was working on a monumental animation project. But even static, Robin’s work is quite something, go see for yourself on his website.

And if you stumble upon him, ask him to tell you about the time he watched his glasses drown in the Scheldt after what seems to have been a river joust. That’s all we know for now.

Florence came to us before leaving on several construction sites in Nepal for non-profits. We couldn’t mess it up. Last we heard of her, she was preparing yet another trip around the world. All this to say that her Bourgeois frames will travel places! But isn’t that the point of it all? If you’re reading, don’t hesitate to come by the store for a full check-up before packing your suitcase.

We could introduce Tiina in a thousand ways, but here’s one : Tiina left Finland aged 17 for a semester abroad. Following administrative issues, she spent one year in Verviers and never left Belgium since then. Voilà.

We were lucky enough to collaborate with her on many projects and we owe her a lot. If you stumble upon her at C12 or somewhere else, remind her she has to take us fishing on ice and ask her if she finished her website.

Calvin was one of the first to enter the store with a pair of glasses he digged himself. It was just a few weeks after the opening, and he wasn’t sure we would accept to restore his Lacoste S7 and edge lenses for it, as the frame didn’t come from our own stock. 

Back in the days, Lacoste frames were manufactured under license by L’Amy in Morez. So it was quite the reverse though : to be honest we were just jealous to not have discovered those double bridge metallic frames ourselves

See the guy sitting on boxes full of vinyls in the middle of his empty flat? That’s Diego. The first time we met? He was mixing between two butchers grinding meat at the first Boudin Room. And there was nothing weird about it, nothing. The first time he came by the shop? He introduced us to ASMR. And there was nothing weird about it, nothing. And this all makes sense when you know this electronic music producer has spent as much time behind the decks as over the stove.

If you stumble upon him, ask him to show you a picture of him as a toddler, lying next to Bidule, the family dog.

We won’t lie, sometimes we simply fail to get enough informations while racking our brains and memories to write a proper bio months after the encounter. That’s the game, and we prefer to say it straight rather than to make stories up about someone. Fake news are bad, you should know that.

The most important : Jasmine once entered the store and left with her perfect match, a hexagonal gold Symphony in that case.

We may have told you already how challenging it is to find frames for couples or siblings, so you can easily imagine the pressure we were under when these two came in : Nedda and Loulou, mother and daughter, pictured here all smiles in their garden in the suburbs of Antwerp. What a pleasure for our glasses to once again cross generations !

It’s on a rather drunk kayak session in Dinant that Richard confessed having lost his previous pair of glasses. Gone forever deep inside the water. Riding a kayak without glasses on a Belgian river isn’t that bad, but riding his 1971 Peugeot in the streets of Brussels can be more of a problem.

This is when the student in design and furniture and barkeeper at the Flamingo in Brussels thought it was time to pay us a visit. We found him the perfect pair. Cherry on the cake, it matched his hair.

Fitting a duo is always kind of a challenge for us. We were just getting used to couples when the Vander Gucht sisters showed up.⁣ We loved meeting the two of them together, and rummaging through our stock trying to make up a duo that works together as well as separately for this nursery-school teacher and her younger sister, student in Agogische Wetenschappen at the VUB.

Meet Camille.

She wears the 343 Bugatti in matte gold, inspired by the egg-shaped radiator-grill from the famous automobile. We love this pick because they make a bold statement while also remaining subtle and refined.

Camille is a tattoo artist at MUE and is obsessed with all the history and technique she’s learning. Off-duty you can find her at Phare du Canal or Cafe Walvis.

Born in Braine l’Alleud in 1991, Fabien doesn’t beat around the bush. Chances are you know him for his electronic music productions under the guise of Le Motel. Well, we do too. Besides dropping beats, he’s also a graphic and motion designer, and lent us a strong hand on some of our digital projects. But this is not all there is behind this mischievous smile. The guy also recently launched his own record label, Maloca Records. 

We won’t lie, sometimes we simply fail to get enough informations while racking our brains and memories to write a proper bio months after the encounter. That’s the game, and we prefer to say it straight rather than to make stories up about someone. Fake news are bad, you should know that.

The most important : Bruyneel once entered the store and left with her perfect match, a thick black Symphony in that case. And look how happy they seem to be.

Graphic designer and editor holding the reins of Bichel Edition, we don’t know how Vincent manages to find the time to sleep. We first saw him during summer 2018, when he was working on the edition festival Salon Mirage or on the onboarding of an artist in residency at the Micro-Factory, or both. Last time we met, it was to tighten the screws of his frames that had experimented a rough time on his curious nose.

Meet Valentin and Amélie, respectively born and raised in Vendée and Normandy. They both turned up at the shop and I remember we talked about comics, had a good laugh; Valentin was sporting orange glasses from his teenage years because his former frames had just given up the ghost, while Amélie still holds the record for the smallest pupil distance ever measured at the shop. You don’t care ? Fair enough.

If you stumble upon these two, whether for the release of their fanzine Vague Pression (novels, comics, drawing) in spring or in a bookshop around Flagey, ask Valentin how he lost his last pair of glasses. All he could tell us was that it involved a nocturnal paranormal event...

After a summer day in 2018, the team was having an afterwork drink in front of the store when Emily and Luca showed up, coming out of Whitney’s premiere screened at BOZAR.

We let them inside to take a peek around and as ecological warriors, they were quickly convinced by the dead stocks upcycling ideology. They would come back a few days later. First him, shortly followed by her.

We kind of love obsessive people and weird collectors. So when we met this rocks and minerals nerd, it triggered our curiosity. When we then discovered she listens to endless ambiant music playlists while thinking about her jewelry constructions, we felt in love.

Therefore we decided to join forces and obsessions with Shitika and she became the mind and hands behind our HYBRIDS series. For the past months, she has been an amazing workmate, and we can honestly say this Jewelry Designer from the Antwerp Academy got gold in her hands.

It’s hard to tell what there is behind Patricks’ fascinating blue eyes. But we know for sure what there is in front of them, because this may have been the best fit in Bidules’s history. 

Wearing by anyone else, this frame would have seemed severe, almost irrelevant. But not on Patrick. We remember a hurricane entering the store, trying on one single frame, and being directly convinced. After he left, we had the chance to meet him another day during 5 minutes at the bottom of his work building to take this portrait, then the guy disappeared forever.

We remember very well when Fabian first showed up at the store. Quite intrigued by the ultrasonic cleaner, we put his watch in. In the meantime, we learnt about his passion for kilims and Iranian Kurdistan. A passion he pursues through Pardis Tapis, a project he co-founded. Needless to say that hearing how they travelled to the most remote villages in Iran on the lookout for vintage kilims, their stories and the legends surrounding them, directly connected us.

French stylist and fashion-editor based in Belgium, Adrien seems to be constantly in the middle of a project, whether it is magazine shoot or catwalk madness. No need to say he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t often drop by the store. But when he does, the opening hours become harder to respect. And to be honest, we can’t say it doesn’t please us.

This creature from outer space is wearing our most cosmic frames, a prototype crafted in Morez in the 90s for a famous brand we can’t reveal, makes all heads turn.

Yuva and Giacomo are all about getting people together by creating interactions around livestreams, rendez-vous, parties, art, exhibitions and more. Wait, did I just pitch his project Plein Sud? Whatever, that’s how we saw this tall Brusseleir when he passed by the shop last summer.

When he’s not busy dedicating his everything to Brussels’ nightlife culture, Giacomo is spending so much time at the shop we may have to blacklist him. First, because he loves glasses at least as much as we do, and second, because he has the worrying penchant to sit on them.

Benoit prefers to define himself as a creative rookie. If the Brussels based videomaker, designer, musician and photographer looks familiar, it's maybe because he's never far from Roméo Elvis, producing video clips and working closely with the crew. Our paths have crossed many times since the day we met while he was playing with the atmospheric pop band Ulysse. If you want a taste of his many projects, go have a look at his website.

Born and raised in Hasselt, Alexandra is now based in Brussels and works as a photographer and photo editor for De Standaard. When we met, she was busy reorganizing and digitalizing her archives – making a photobook of each and every one of her hard drives. For having had the courage to throw yourself into this painstakingly tedious task that some are postponing for a lifetime (including us), we wanted to express our wholehearted admiration.

How not to remember the day we met Emilie and her red, rusty truck? It was around noon. The artist, gallerist, musician an artist was exhibiting drawings made by Philip Vormwald during Art On Paper at BOZAR. But we only learnt that later on.

What happened is a storm: after double-parking, Emilie barged in the shop and told us she’d been needing new glasses for 10 years. 10 minutes later, she had unearthed a pair of Pantos that fitted her like a glove and she went on to grab herself a sandwich.

Pictured here are the Murenzi brothers, wrapping up YellowStraps latest project. At the workshop, their first EP Whirlwind Romance had been on repeat in the “Bidules - Workflow” Spotify playlist since 2015. Needless to say we were more than thrilled to gear them up with glasses. Their upcoming project is called Goldress, and knowing what frame Yvan chose to come home with, we’re not that surprised about this gold color mania.

When she came by the shop to chose her first glasses, the Political Sciences student told us she was applying to go on an Erasmus. Then we met again as she was serving the best ice cream scoops at Gaston for her student job. Even if we still don’t know where she would be travelling, we hope she got her plane tickets since then. And that she still loves ice cream.

You may have seen this guy already, having had a few drinks too many already, while he was preaching the word with his analog synthesizer under the mysterious name of Monolithe Noir. We met Antoine at the vinyl shop he was working at. He wanted to try glasses on. The sun was shining and we were sober. He made us discover Connan Mockasin and we got a parking ticket in the meantime.

Loredana is wearing the Foca 427. This pair is from the FOCA (Fabbrica Occhiali Ceculoid Affini) haul in 2019. Lyon-born and Brussels-based, she is an artist at Tattoo Studio Because and printmaking student at the Royal Academy of Fines Arts in Brussels.

Loredana collects lamps and chairs, favoring bright colors and vintage designs from the 70s and 80s (we feel you!!). She also has a big collection of plants at home. We caught her in the shop trying on some of our more adventurous frames, so we went in the back to dig up some atypical favorites. She went home with the Foca model, her partner having a laugh at how perfectly they matched her personality ✅

Her Brussels' gems? Parc Léopold, L'Athenée, and the jazz club Sounds.

Finding the best possible frames for Filomena - here sitting by Salomé’s side, her G-daughter aka Blu Samu - was one of the highlights of 2018. A mom's hug to remember and the kind of encounters that make us wake up every morning.

Of course, we’ve seen Salomé at the shop a thousand of times since that day, as she seems as addicted to glasses than she is to hypnotizing rhymes.
Salomé, say hi to your mom for us and keep taking good care of her!