If you have seen the enamel signage of the RATP network in Paris or a Hughes Renier fresco in Brussels' Place Cardinal Mercier, you have seen the work of Émaillerie Belge. Founded in 1923, the company excelled during the fad of enameled advertising that spread over the following decades. When visual pollution laws took effect and roadside advertising was scaled back in the early 1960s, the industry declined. In fact, Émaillerie Belge is the only enamel company left in Benelux. But it was also bound to disappear, with a looming closure in 2016 and the sale of the Molenbeek location. Until two visionary young entrepreneurs thought design could save the company. And judging by the early intervention of the Muller Van Severen duo, perhaps it did. We spoke with Vincent Vanden Borre, CEO of Émaillerie Belge, about the vision he and Tanguy Van Quickenborne share about the potential of enamel applications in the design market.
TLmag: How did you end up running this business?
Vincent Vanden Borre: Muller Van Severen contacted Émaillerie Belge three years ago to explore the possibilities of collaboration and using enamel for their designs; they wanted to present a collaboration at the Salone del Mobile in Milan. To make a long story short, the previous owner replied that the company would close in two years, so they were not interested. The designers were disappointed and talked to Van Den Weghe [edit: Tanguy Van Quickenborne's company], so they were the first to find out that Émaillerie Belge would cease operations. Tanguy looked at the possibilities and in May 2016 he contacted me and told me he was considering taking over the company. The buildings [at the original location in Molenbeek] had already been sold, so Émaillerie Belge would have to leave in a year or two. I only had two weeks to decide, but I said, "Let's do it." I joined the day-to-day management in August 2016.
TLmag: In its heyday there were more than 130 employees, but now operations are down to 10 people. Why did it make sense to invest in the company now?
VVB: We came for the first visit and had a "Wow!" feeling. We were so stunned by what we saw, in terms of heritage and artisan production, that we immediately fell in love with the company. The business was not running well at the time and the company was about to close, so we just believed in what we saw and in the product itself. Just by looking at the potential of enamel, we came up with new possibilities, so we decided it was the right choice.
TLmag: What new opportunities?
VVB: When we arrived, we found that they served the basic market - that is, flat panels for advertising, signage for streets and subway systems, collectible panels for comic books and a few works of art. We thought we could keep the basic market but expand into art and design, into enamel pots, pans, trays, tables and chairs. We also saw opportunities for interior design, from kitchens to ceilings; for exterior design, we saw an opportunity in facades. We saw these new markets and we began to develop them.
TLmag: You guys don't compete on price because it's such a labor-intensive product, but you do have an advantage in terms of environmental friendliness because it's a very sustainable product. Has that given you a competitive advantage in today's sustainability-oriented market?
VVB: Yes. We focus on the constancy of the product, huge in many ways, and on the high quality that we offer at Émaillerie Belge, since we are one of the leading companies in the world when it comes to quality standards.
TLmag: And since you're talking about exploring the possibilities with the design market, what happened to the original Muller Van Severen project?
VVB: This year they presented several designs they made with us at the Salone del Mobile, and we are now in contact for a new project. We also work with designers like Maarten De Ceulaer and Damien O'Sullivan in other projects. These requests are challenging: we have a large range of color options, compared to other enamel companies-about 800-and this gives us the chance to find new colors, new materials to enamel, new finishes. The shapes are also challenging: when you work with steel, it can deform at 800 degrees, so we have to work on new structures to support the materials. Every design is challenging in some way. But as part of the previously existing deal, you are now moving from Molenbeek to another location in Brussels in 2018.
VVB: Many people ask us, "Why do you stay in Brussels?" Abroad, many people link the company to the city-they even call it Émaillerie Bruxelles. It's also a French name, so it would be rather strange to put it in the middle of Flanders. And also a crucial part is the team that works here: we want to keep everyone in the company. 50 kilometers away means they can't come back, so that's kind of why we decided to stay here. That's why the new location will still be in the center of Brussels.
TL: Going back to your story about the "Wow!" feeling, do you think that reaction had anything to do with being a Millennial and having that nostalgic attachment to craftsmanship?
VVB: A lot. I've always been fascinated by craft production; I'm very interested in high-end niche markets. People like digital things, but in a way they want to go back to their roots, so they appreciate both new things and the back-to-the-past products. In terms of the market, we see that balance.
TL: Among the nostalgic, in a more commercial way, are collectors of enamel art. Have you seen positive responses from that niche since you took over?
VVB: Very, very much so! We were surprised by the number of visitors we had at events like the Open Business Day. We didn't know the collector's market was so big and wide, spread all over the world. Frankly, we thought it was a very small group of people, but it is everywhere. Email is something we come into contact with every day, from Le Creuset to street signs. People don't realize how often they come into contact with it because they don't know the product.
TL: You're a design collector yourself. Have you thought about what's attractive, from an investment standpoint, about enamel art?
VVB: That's a couple of things. There's the historical factor, since enamel has been around since the time of the Persians, so it's a very old product that still lives on. Then there are the possibilities with color: when you look at an enameled panel, you get a warm feeling. Steel is cold, but an enameled steel panel is totally different: it's a warm work with a lot of depth in it - you get the feeling that you can push your finger into it. And then there is the resistance of the product itself: it is UV-resistant, scratch-resistant, impact-resistant, resistant to chemicals, resistant to high temperatures. A collector panel produced today is not like a car, which first loses its value and then rises again when it is a vintage item: once you buy enamel, its value rises every day. That's something very strange and special about it. If you want, you could call it the new gold! (Laughs)
Text by Rab Messina for TL Magazine
