STOF is a multidisciplinary platform aiming to create a dynamic space to show and share truly interesting people, culture and fashion. We do this via editorials, articles and more, as long as stories can be told and shared with you.
We also want collections to last as a culture and not only for a season, giving products an afterlife while providing a new spotlight for often-overlooked designers.
STOF works from a perspective of elevating each other, so do reach out if you feel like we could do something interesting together, wether it be fashion, music, art... our doors are open.
On the other hand if you're looking for any vintage pieces in particular, let us know - We might be able to get our hands on it !
We mainly focus on Belgian designers such as Maison Martin Margiela, Raf Simons, Dries Van Noten, A.F. Vandevorst, Ann Demeulemeester and more.
STOF x 113 MAISON
Next up: Mariona Puig, photographer and Jorgina Carrera, pattern maker. The Catalan couple met each other in school, back in Spain. A while later they found their brand 113 MAISON, where they could unite their creative visions and passion for artisanal processes. Their signature pieces are handcrafted, while always maintaining a rare and artistic approach to fashion. Now living and working in Antwerp for a couple of years, they moved to their new place, together with their newest family member Doroteo—an Italian greyhound. We decided to meet up with Mariona and Jorgina and to play around with some garments from 113 MAISON and STOF. Discover the outcome below!
First row from left to right: 113 MAISON vest and bag, Ann Demeulemeester dress and Dries Van Noten mules
113 MAISON vest, Ann Demeulemeester skirt, gloves and pants
113 MAISON shirt and bag, Ann Demeulemeester hood and scarf, Haider Ackermann shorts and A.F. Vandevorst boots
Second row in the middle: 113 MAISON top, Ann Demeulemeester gloves and skirt and A.F. Vandevorst boots
Thank you so much for having us in your new place. Could you start by telling us how you met?
JORGINA: Well, we were both going to the same school in Barcelona. Mariona was studying photography and I was doing design. We noticed each other since the first day at school but it almost took us a year to actually exchange some words. Finally we broke the ice at a party. (laughs) Next, we shared our work with one another and we fell in love with each other's work. As time went by we spent a lot of time creating together and we haven’t separated since.
How did 113 MAISON came to exist?
MARIONA: We were working for the same designer for a while when we were still studying. Then we came to the point where we realized that we didn’t want to keep on working for somebody else. Not long after this we were walking down Passeig de Gracia in Barcelona and we got so excited about our conversation—regarding our work, our goals and the future—that we arrived to the conclusion that we should create our own unique project, together.
It’s definitely more than a clothing brand for us, it’s the fusion of our work. It's about how we see clothes; how we feel them; how we want to show them; how we want to photograph them; how we concept design. It's also in regard to fashion photography and photography itself, music and much more.
Mariona wears a 113 MAISON vest and top with Ann Demeulemeester leather pants
113 MAISON top and vest, Ann Demeulemeester skirt, A.F. Vandevorst heels
You both have Catalan roots. Do you carry this out in your designs? If so, how?
JORGINA: Yes, we definitely do. In a subtle way. We use elements from the Catalan culture, such as the language and certain traditions. But same goes for the Mediterranean way of life more in general. I grew up in a tiny rural village in the center of Catalonia so isolation, deterioration and decay were a part of my everyday life—as much as it is present in Mariona’s photography as well. The garments we create are influenced by that: using elements and techniques as patches or raw cuts for instance.
To which artisanal processes in particular are you drawn?
JORGINA: That would be hand-knitting, crochet, embroideries, hand-dying and hand-stitching.
"A bucolic and melancholic experimental re-interpretation of high end avant-garde fashion for women with a flexible conception of femininity, who claim for an individual and distinctive style.", is what it says—amongst others—on your website. What is to you a flexible conception of femininity?
MARIONA: To explore and acknowledge the identities and traces of the personalities that exist within you. There are as many possibilities to dress as there are layers in you.
First row: Jorgina wears a 113 MAISON bag, Lieve Van Gorp shoes and an Ann Demeulemeester bolero and dress
Second row: Mariona wears a 113 MAISON vest, Chris Janssens dress, Ann Demeulemeester skirt and 113 MAISON boots
Would you say that your clothes speak to a particular public?
MARIONA: No, not per se. Because each piece tells a different story and is unique in its own way, thanks to this we have a very wide and varied public.
All your garments are individually handmade, one at a time in-house. How do you manage to find a balance between taking your time for something and knowing when it's "done"?
JORGINA: It’s laborious, especially when we are designing new garments. A piece can be hanging in the atelier for more than a year looking finished, but it's not. I'd say that we consider a piece finished when we are absolutely satisfied with the final result. But it remains hard because sometimes there are endless possibilities for the same garment.
In which way does it influence your relationship while being romantic as well as professional partners?
MARIONA: To us it is natural because we've been working together since the beginning. There are no limitations to us, it’s all or nothing. We elevated each other and grew towards each other while doing all of this. We learned so much through 113 MAISON. Of course, it can be very challenging and obviously there are a lot of fights and discussions along the way—plus if we get upset at work, we are upset at home. Fortunately, this never lasts more than an hour... (laughs)
What makes a team work well together in your opinion?
JORGINA: Same goals, similar taste, good communication and knowing very well each other’s best traits and weak points.
Finally, what inspires you these days?
MARIONA: A mix and match of different things: classicism and romanticism in music; old costume dramas (Jorgina is obsessed with everything from 1750 to 1900); early and historical photography and anything related to death and decay such as sea shells, stones, organic shapes, skeletons, etc.
JORGINA: Apart from that the materials that we use are also a big source of inspiration to us. This goes from raw natural fabrics, stains, old fabric trims, lace and antique thread work.
Left and right : 113 MAISON bag, Ann Demeulemeester dress and A.F. Vandevorst ballerinas
Middle: 113 MAISON shirt and Ann Demeulemeester hood
Text by Karina Zharmukhambetova