My Irish father came to the Netherlands to work for the European Space Agency (ESA) when I was one year old. He was responsible for all matters relating to powering ESA’s satellites and later even the International Space Station. This meant solar power and I remember him coming home with a tiny little solar cell, the first of its kind. It was magical and would herald the future of solar energy, the rewards we are now reaping 50 years later.
Being Irish and growing up in the Netherlands with my father working for ESA and my French mother, inevitably meant I had a European outlook on life. There was, however, a certain symbolism in my Irish identity, which was made clear to me by my father when my British passport (where I was born) was ceremoniously swapped for an Irish passport when I was 10.
I haven’t looked back since.
Christmas time was “religiously” spent with my grandma and aunties in Monkstown, Co Dublin, and, despite winter’s gloom, my sister and I loved it. The colourful Christmas decorations, walks in the Wicklow mountains and trips into Dublin on the double-decker buses – pure magic!
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After the Netherlands, I moved to Belgium and although the two countries share their borders, a common history and have many cultural touch points, they are also very different. That said, I live in Brussels, which is more like a city-state within a country, which in itself is more like two countries: Flanders and Wallonia. Confused? We all are a little confused in Brussels but that is somehow also its charm.
Brussels is a melting pot and, after Dubai, it is the second most cosmopolitan city in the world, with more than 60 per cent of its residents being born in a different country.
Although there are many international schools, they are, in the main, reserved for children whose parents work for either the EU or Nato and its affiliated institutions. So, my children attend French-speaking Belgian schools, which are in themselves like international schools with kids coming from all over the world.
While most people in Brussels come for work, I came for personal reasons. My newborn daughter, Mia, needed a liver transplant and after three years and many operations, we decided she would be best cared for in Brussels. The Saint-Luc hospital did all they possibly could but sadly, she passed away a year later. Staying in Brussels seemed like the right thing to do.
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I am a designer and have worked many years for Hermès and Louis Vuitton in Paris. The Thalys (high-speed train) has brought Brussels and Paris within commuting distance. With the trip taking an hour and 20 minutes, it has allowed me to work between both cities and, more importantly, to regularly see my partner, who lives in Paris.
Since settling in Brussels, the city and its artistic heritage have had a big influence on my work. Being new to the city has opened my eyes to all its splendour, past and present.
This inspiration resulted in the creation of a range of leather bags for the Belgian brand Delvaux (the world’s oldest luxury leather bag maker). They were inspired by René Magritte as well as by a porcelain cup and saucer made in the shape of a bowler hat by Rosenthal.
My next project will see the launch of my own luxury leather brand. I have called it DAMIAAN. Why the name? In Brussels, I live on the Avenue Père Damien, named after the Belgian saint. During my childhood growing up in the Netherlands, people would struggle with the spelling and pronunciation of my name, even adding an umlaut (Damiën) to create the desired enunciation. Even my parents would argue whether it should be Damien (my French mother) or Damian (my Irish father).
And so, I decided another iteration of my name could do no harm. It is the Flemish way of spelling my name. I also realised it would be easier to obtain the domain name and social media accounts with such an unusual spelling.
For DAMIAAN, I teamed up with the ex-artistic/marketing director of Delvaux and we now run the brand together. We manufacture in France and Italy and we are just back from the Paris Fashion Week presentations. Now, we are looking to build our distribution network.
Enough about me, here’s a little more about Brussels ...
Besides the many splendid museums, the city and its architecture are fabulous with many art nouveau and art deco masterpieces. The museum-houses (maisons-musées) that are not to be missed are the Horta museum and the Villa Empain, which are among the finest examples of art nouveau and art deco you’ll find. If you visit the Atomium, be sure to take an extra hour to visit the closely situated Design Museum Brussels.
And if you’re Irish and in need of some home comforts, there’s the Irish fish and chips shop, Biamara, as well as the usual crop of Irish pubs. I also recently came across the Scéal Eile Irish Film Festival which showcases the best of Irish film across Belgium.
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If you like contemporary art, then go for Wiels, Galerie Xavier Hufkens or La Patinoire Royale. And if all this has opened your appetite, I can recommend Broebbeleir (on the Marolles flea market), Au Vieux Saint Martin on the Sablon or La Place Sainte-Catherine for seafood.
If it’s beer you’re after (Belgian beer culture was recently included in Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage) then a visit to the Cantillon brewery or Brussels Beer Project would seem like a wise decision.
Sláinte.
Damian O’Sullivan lives in Brussels. He is a designer and has worked for Hermès and Louis Vuitton. He launched his own brand of luxury leather goods in March.
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