Jan-Jan Van Essche, who is Antwerp-based and launched his eponymous brand in 2010, is clearly an example of someone who has invested his clothing with intimate and personal meanings, reflected in his ongoing collaboration with his partner Pietro Celestina. In fact, the word ‘collaboration’ does not do justice to the fact that both men pretty much spend their whole time together, even though Pietro has Atelier Solarshop to focus on, a beautifully curated retail space he launched with Jan-Jan in Antwerp in 2008. Interview by Philippe Pourhashemi.