We write February 14th, 2008, Valentine’s Day, and we clearly couldn’t have picked a more suitable date for the opening of van Bommel’s flagship store in fashionable Antwerp: doing the honors, Flanders’ best known comedian, Geert Hoste, declares his love for the Dutch premium shoe manufacturer. His near fetish for patent leather shoes dating back to his first performance, it had always been a quest to find a proper pair. Until the day van Bommel heard of his problem… and solved it! It was love at first sight!
But let’s get back to the opening. At the store we welcome van Bommel’s guests and the international press with champagne and 'love food' like sweet petits fours, cute tiny but tasty strawberries and the inevitable--but no one objects--Belgian chocolates in a stunning shop design. A well appreciated pampering after the first ever Antwerp fashion walk ‘shoe edition’ we took them to. Not without supplying them with the necessary lunch calories first, of course. Some genuine old style butlers in tailcoats serving these nice sweets & treats are the classic wink in this otherwise contemporary modern environment. A lovely metaphor for the up-to-date classic this luxury shoe brand is. A press release in a romantic yet stylish heart-shaped box makes the hearts of the most critical journalists melt. The collaboration that frank agterberg/bca instigated between van Bommel’s different pr-agencies proves itself an unmistakable love game. Mission accomplished, Cupid!
