Hasta La Ideas

From Europe comes news of another fashion victim of the economy: Belgian designer Veronique Branquinho is closing the fashion house she founded 11 years ago. The Antwerp-based company—which encompasses womenswear, menswear, sunglasses, and shoes—has entered court-appointed liquidation. According to WWD, Branquinho’s house was unable to survive in the face of “a sharp drop in orders for its fall/winter 2009/2010 collections, and a plethora of canceled orders and nonpayments for the past spring/summer season.”

While Branquinho, a graduate of Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, will take a break from designing under her own name, she was recently appointed artistic director of Delvaux, the luxe leathergoods company. “The motivation for this choice was her highly personal style, her approach to accessories—elegance must remain discreet—and the international opportunities that this cooperation creates,” noted Delvaux last month in a statement announcing Branquinho’s appointment. “In her designs for Delvaux, she wants to create a tension between recognition—the existing codes of the House—and surprise.” Branquinho will also continue teaching at the University of Applied Arts Vienna.