Brooklyn turns 50

The blessed year of 1972. May '68 was still fresh in everyone's mind, and those who had stood on the barricades had only just graduated. One of them, Lieven Descamps, had an idea and the drive to make it happen. The result: Brooklyn Kortrijk, the very first real jeans store. Today there are seven stores and a webshop. That's 50 years of 'A PASSION FOR FASHION'. Time to look back? We can't think of a better moment!

The man and the woman

It all starts with a man: Lieven Descamps. In his twenties (26, to be exact), from Kortrijk, shaped by and active in the KSA youth movement, and bursting with energy. A champion of equal voting rights, education in Dutch and everything the student movement took to the streets for in '68. A doer (as a KSA leader, he laid on buses to Brussels to march for a Flemish Leuven) who wanted to start his own business. The plan: a clothing store with an affinity for the student movement and the new style it embraced. A style every bit as revolutionary as the movement itself: non-conformist and nonchalant, with jeans, miniskirts, crocheted sweaters… Not yet to be found anywhere in West Flanders. That was about to change.

On 7 April 1972, Lieven opened the first store in Kortrijk, back then on Sint-Janstraat. Calling it 'House of Descamps' never even crossed his mind. This fresh wind deserved a name that embraced an open outlook. Trousers and jeans were at its core, a trend blown over from America. Loathed by many parents at the time, jeans became the most coveted item of clothing among young people. Some even wore them in secret. The link with America and the alliteration between 'broek' (Dutch for trousers) and the New York borough gave Kortrijk its very own 'Brooklyn'.

Things took off right away. In May '72, Lieven opened a second Brooklyn in Roeselare. That's where the woman enters the story. Rita Garreyn, a political and social sciences student and fellow passenger on the protest buses to Brussels (legend has it Lieven and Rita met at the police station), had her eye on the organiser, and vice versa. When Rita was invited to the opening reception of the Roeselare store and saw the dishes piling up, she offered a helping hand. 'That stunner with the long black hair' became Lieven's partner, in business and in life.

The genie out of the bottle

Together, Lieven and Rita were unstoppable. In 1973, Oostende got its own Brooklyn, followed by Brugge in 1975. Meanwhile their first daughter, Eef, was born, they bought land in Stasegem for the warehouse and started building in '76. By then, son Ubbe was on the way. In 1980 they made the leap to East Flanders and opened a store in Gent, with Waregem soon after. Knokke rounded off the list, for the time being, in 1987. With Jelle and Aagje, the family now counted four children.

The non-conformist clothing was a hit with young people. Trousers and T-shirts from Levi’s, Wrangler, Lee… sold like hot cakes. The range soon grew, with new brands joining the line-up: Lee Cooper, Forty Niner, Clever Jeans… And new products too: woollen sweaters straight from Scotland, picked up in their own van, beanies and caps from London, bomber jackets from Paris. Like no one else, Lieven and Rita struck the balance between the commercial and the innovative. Trends that didn't fit the picture didn't stand a chance at Brooklyn. Others were picked up before anyone had heard of them. Rita was the first to see the impact of grunge and streetwear in the 90s, and translated them into wearable fashion for their customers. Once again, trousers and jeans proved to be the heart of it all. When jeans were taken to a higher level in the 2000s, Brooklyn was right there.

The empire

That's how Lieven and Rita built their 'Brooklyn empire'. Not only were the clothes innovative, so was the way they ran the business. They embraced new technologies to better organise operations. As early as the late 70s, they bought their first computer to manage stock digitally and move clothes smoothly between stores. A system the webshop still benefits from today, letting customers enjoy a personal service. They valued the people in the company, knowing a business stands or falls with its staff. Careers of thirty years or more are no exception at Brooklyn. Customer friendliness is another pillar of the family business. Sales staff are equipped with solid expertise to help customers as smoothly as possible. That means satisfaction for customers and staff alike.
Finally, the bond with the city is part of Brooklyn's foundation. All stores are in the town centre, the beating heart of a city. Where life happens and where you keep your finger on the pulse of social change and trends.

In the late 90s, Eef and Ubbe, the two eldest children, started their careers in the family business. A small step, as they grew up among the jeans. Riding along in the van on delivery rounds or to London to pick up stock, helping out at the street market or in the warehouse, lending a hand in the stores on busy days. They did it all.

With the second generation, Brooklyn got ready for the noughties. A first website and later a webshop, the launch of its own magazine (The Brooklyn Planet), the first steps on social media, the search for a contemporary tone of voice that connects with the Brooklyn legacy… Thanks to smart, forward-looking management, Brooklyn weathered the 2008 financial crisis, stayed on course and proved its relevance in the Flemish fashion landscape.

The next generation

In 2017, son Ubbe and his wife Chloé took over the business. Ambition, drive and faith in the company's values: that's how they set off on their adventure. Omnichannel became the new mantra, just like 'Making young families with plans happy'. At the same time, they went back to the core: the baseline became Brands & Pants, literally brands & trousers, how it all began and why Brooklyn is still here. The unique mix of women's and men's brands and streetwear remains their strength. Helpfulness, gratitude and loyalty still run like a common thread through the organisation.

Today, Brooklyn is ready for the next chapter. The renewal is under way, offline and online. One by one, the stores are getting a makeover, with a new concept that highlights the connection with the city even more. Roeselare, Oostende, Gent, Knokke, Kortrijk and Brugge already have their new look, and Waregem is on the agenda. Plus, a new store opens in Nieuwpoort in June 2025! The webshop is turning into a modern digital store, so Brooklyn is on that train too. New media are tested and used the typical Brooklyn way. Commercial and headstrong… sounds familiar, right?

With its heritage as a foundation and forward-looking plans as a guide, Brooklyn is firmly on the fashion map today, ready for the next half-century.

To be continued...